South Africa Grants independence to Venda and Gazankulu homelands

Date: 1 Feb 1973
Updated: 20 Jul 2026

<p>Bantustan territories in South Africa during the apartheid era <a href='https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Small-Hold-Alternatives-for-Land-Redistribution-in-Grinde/56f91cef8bb2bba055338bba9987078e79650a79' target='_blank'> Source: Semantic Scholar</a></p> — Bantustan territories in South Africa during the apartheid era Source: Semantic Scholar

The republic of South Africa grants independence to Venda and Gazankulu. This move is in line with the government's internal control strategy of 'divide and rule'. These Bantustans were never given international recognition by the international community. However, states like Israel and Taiwan gave them some measure of acknowledgment, falling short of full diplomatic recognition. The African National Congress (ANC) objected to the creation of these Bantustans and also refrained from crediting them as legitimate.

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01World Statesmen.org, Former Black Homelands (Bantustans), from World Statesmen, [online], Available at www.worldstatesmen.org [Accessed: 6 February 2013]
02Scielo, Traditional leadership and independent Bantustans of South Africa: some milestones of transformative constitutionalism beyond Apartheid, from Scielo South Africa, [online], Available at www.scielo.org.za [Accessed: 6 February 2013]

Last updated · 20 Jul 2026

Cite this entry

South African History Online. (2011, March 16). South Africa Grants independence to Venda and Gazankulu homelands. South African History Online. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0012185

South African History Online (2011) 'South Africa Grants independence to Venda and Gazankulu homelands', South African History Online, 16 March. Available at: https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0012185 (Accessed: 24 July 2026).

South African History Online, South Africa Grants independence to Venda and Gazankulu homelands [website], https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0012185, (accessed 24 July 2026).

"South Africa Grants independence to Venda and Gazankulu homelands." South African History Online, 16 Mar. 2011, https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0012185. Accessed 24 July 2026.

South African History Online. "South Africa Grants independence to Venda and Gazankulu homelands." South African History Online. March 16, 2011. https://sahistory.org.za/ref/E-0012185.