The capital city of Botswana (Gaborone) and the capital city of South Africa (Pretoria) are located in the Limpopo River basin, as are some of the major urban centers of these countries (Francistown, Polokwane, Thohoyandu and Witbank). Other major urban centers (Johannesburg, Maputo and Bulawayo) are found along the basin’s borders, and influence and are influenced by the basin (FAO 2004). With the exception of these major urban centers the Limpopo River basin is generally sparsely populated and rural in setting, particularly Mozambique. On average, 50 % of the 14 million people distributed across the basin occupy the rural areas, ranging from 31% in Botswana to 66% in Zimbabwe.
Estimated rural population in the Limpopo River basin.
Country/Province
2001 rural population estimates for basin provinces
Botswana
835 000
Central
540 000
Kwaneng
190 000
Kgatleng
60 000
North East
45 000
Mozambique
1 045 000
Gaza
1 000 000
Inhambane
45 000
South Africa
5 400 000
Gauteng
100 000
Limpopo
4 300 000
Mpumalanga
500 000
North West
500 000
Zimbabwe
900 000
Matabeleland South
550 000
Masvingo
250 000
Midlands
100 000
Total
8 180 000
Source: FAO 2004
COLLECTING WATER IN RURAL BOTSWANA. SOURCE: VOGEL 2010
