The arrival of Europeans in Venda and their attempt at declaring the Luvuvhu River valley a white area posed a threat to the Luvuvhu communities. Communities were aware of the effects of having Luvuvhu declared a white area. King Mphephu, Makhado’s son, resisted the Europeans’ attempts at declaring Luvuvhu a white area. He objected against removal and argued that it would affect families adversely since they would be scattered all over.
Europeans imposed hut tax on communities in the Luvuvhu River valley. The arrival of Joao Albasini also posed a threat to the Luvuvhu communities. Albasini was a Native Commissioner and a self-appointed white chief of Tsonga-Shangaans. He was hated by Vhavenda because he tried to collect tax from them.
The Luvuvhu River valley was scheduled as a white area in terms of section 2 of the Land Act, No.27 of 1913. Old Mauluma was divided into different farms and given different colonial names by the settlers. These farms are/were Barotta, Klein Australie, Entabeni, Levubu No.15LT, Nooitgedaght, and Appelsfontein.
Irrigation scheme and forestry led to the dispossession of Luvuvhu river valley from the Ravele, Ratombo, Mashau, Masakona, Makatu, Matidze, Mukwevho, Rasikhuthuma, and Davhana communities. These communities were forcibly removed to make way for settlers and to also solve the ‘poor white problem’.
Irrigation construction began in 1936. The process of removing the Luvuvhu communities had commenced in 1921. Communities that were moved in 1921 were taken to present day Ha-Mashau while some were taken to Ha-Tshivhasa. The final removal of the Ravele community took place in 1936 when the government decided to establish a European irrigation settlement. The committee responsible for white settlement regarded “New Mauluma” in the Nzhelele valley as of equal agricultural value to the Luvuvhu valley. The Ravele community was expected to move to “New Mauluma”.
In 1939 Entabeni and Barotta No.65 were declared government plantation areas. This meant that the people of Matidza, Makatu, Ravele and Ratombo would be moved. Not all the families of the Ravele community were re-settled in 1938. Acting Khosi Tshivhase (called Jack Godane), Makhadzi Ravele, Tshivhase’s mother, two wives, aunt, two widows of the deceased Nanga Ravele, Nanga’s mother, Frank Ndwakhulu Ravele (the son and heir of the late Nanga Ravele) stayed in the Luvuvhu river valley. The were granted permission to stay with effect from 23 November 1938 for a five year period, which they could extend on a year to year basis, until the custodians were able to leave. They were allowed to have small ploughing fields around their huts.
New Mauluma resembled a desert. People were no longer able to make sleeping mats such as thovho (bamboo bed). Clay, a valuable material for the making of cooking pots was also unavailable. They were now forced to buy these articles from other communities.
The Ravele community was also denied the right to perform murundu (men’s initiation). The suitable sites for murundu were located in old Mauluma while new Mauluma made it impossible for them to perform circumcision due to lack of forests and water.
Vhavenda blamed the Tsonga-Shangaans for collaborating with the Boers while the Tsonga-Shangaans blamed Vhavenda for resisting white encroachment. The animosity between the two groups was compounded by the fact that during the Mphephu War of 1898 Tsonga-Shangaans assisted the Boers against Vhavenda. Tsonga-Shangaan chief, Mavambe provided 800 men to assist the Boers. The Native Location Commission of 1907 rewarded the Tsonga-Shangaans, led by Shigalo, by giving them 500 morgen of land along the banks of the Luvuvhu river. Shigalo was originally placed in the area by the Boers in 1888 to act as a buffer against Vhavenda who occupied Luvuvhu in large numbers.
Khosi Nndwakhulu Frank Ravele, who was the Minister of Finance and later President of the ‘Republic’ of Venda, also the Khosi of the Ravele community in Mauluma died in 1999. He was succeeded by Khosi Nndwayamiomva John Ravele. John Ravele was installed as the khosi of Mauluma 2001, and was officially known as Khosi Ifa Ravele. He died in 2012. He was succeeded by Khosi Ramaano Ravele in 2014. The new khosi was given the title of Muthuhathomi.
In 1998, the Ravele, Madzivhanḓila, Masakona, and Ratombo communities submitted claims to the Land Claims Commission to get their land back. In 2003, the Limpopo Provincial Government proposed a “revolutionary” land reform plan to a group of farmers in the Luvuvhu River Valley. The plan entailed equity sharing between the then owners and communities who were claiming their land.
According to the plan, proposed by the regional Land Claims Commission, a joint venture was to be set up between the then farmers and the new landowners after transferal of the land to the claimants. Farmers who were vacating the land would be contracted to continue managing the different farming enterprises for an interim period of several years. They would re-invest part of the payment they received from government for their land into the joint venture.
In 2005, 16 farms were restored to 344 families belonging to the Ravele/Old Mauluma community. The land restored to the Ravele community is managed by the Ravele Community Property Association, and the farms are known collectively as Mauluma Farming Enterprise.
Although the Ravele Community Property Association, experienced teething problems (like most CPAs that manage land restored to their communities), it has now become a success story. It made R9.7 million in profit in 2016, and had managed to put away R11 million in investment since 2014. In 2016, Mauluma Farming Enterprise exported 279 334 tons of macadamia and 57 722 tons of avocados to Europe, China, Canada and the US.
