View source for Musina

{{About|the city in South Africa}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Use South African English|date=May 2012}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                    = Musina
| other_name              = Messina
| pushpin_map             = South Africa Limpopo#South Africa#Africa
| coordinates             = {{coord|22|20|17|S|30|02|30|E|region:ZA|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type        = [[Country]]
| subdivision_name        = [[South Africa]]
| subdivision_type1       = [[Provinces of South Africa|Province]]
| subdivision_name1       = [[Limpopo]]
| subdivision_type2       = [[Districts of South Africa|District]]
| subdivision_name2       = [[Vhembe District Municipality|Vhembe]]
| subdivision_type3       = [[Municipalities of South Africa|Municipality]]
| subdivision_name3       = [[Musina Local Municipality|Musina]]
| subdivision_type4       = Main Place
| established_title       = Established
| established_date        = 1904
| leader_title            = Councillor
| area_footnotes          = <ref name="census2011">{{cite web |url=http://census2011.adrianfrith.com/place/967004 |title = Main Place Musina |work=Census 2011}} </ref>
| area_total_km2          = 109.38
| population_footnotes    = <ref name="census2011" />
| population_total        = 42678
| population_as_of        = 2011
| population_density_km2  = auto
<!-- demographics (section 1) -->
| demographics_type1      = Racial makeup (2011)
| demographics1_footnotes = <ref name="census2011" />
| demographics1_title1    = [[Bantu peoples of South Africa|African]]
| demographics1_info1     = 93.3%
| demographics1_title2    = [[Coloureds|Coloured]]
| demographics1_info2     = 0.4%
| demographics1_title3    = [[Indian South African|Indian]]/[[Asian South African|Asian]]
| demographics1_info3     = 0.7%
| demographics1_title4    = [[White South African|White]]
| demographics1_info4     = 5.1%
| demographics1_title5    = Other
| demographics1_info5     = 0.5%
<!-- demographics (section 2) -->
| demographics_type2      = [[First language]]s (2011)
| demographics2_footnotes = <ref name="census2011" />
| demographics2_title1    = [[Tshivenda language|Venda]]
| demographics2_info1     = 48.8%
| demographics2_title2    = [[Sotho language|Sotho]]
| demographics2_info2     = 11.7%
| demographics2_title3    = [[Northern Sotho language|Northern Sotho]]
| demographics2_info3     = 10.4%
| demographics2_title4    = [[South African English|English]]
| demographics2_info4     = 5.4%
| demographics2_title5    = Other
| demographics2_info5     = 23.7%
<!-- blank fields (section 2) -->
<!-- Other information -->
| timezone1               = [[South African Standard Time|SAST]]
| utc_offset1             = +2
| postal_code_type        = [[List of postal codes in South Africa|Postal code]] (street)
| postal_code             = 0900
| postal2_code_type       = [[Post-office box|PO box]]
| postal2_code            = 0900
| area_code_type          = [[Telephone numbers in South Africa|Area code]]
| area_code               = 015
| website                 = {{URL|www.musina.gov.za}}}}
'''Musina''' ({{IPAc-en|m|ɛ|ˈ|s|iː|n|ə}}), also known as '''Messina''', is the northernmost town in the [[Limpopo]] province of [[South Africa]]. It is located near the confluence of the [[Limpopo River]] with the [[Sand River (Limpopo)|Sand River]] and the border to [[Zimbabwe]] with a population of between 20,000 and 40,000. [[Iron]] ore, [[coal]], [[magnetite]], [[graphite]], [[asbestos]], [[diamond]]s, semi-precious stones and [[copper]] are mined in the region.
==History==
[[File:Copper-Papagoite-Quartz-tmu46c.jpg|thumb|left|Copper and [[Papagoite]] in Quartz, from old Messina mine.]]
After serving in the [[Second Boer War|Anglo-Boer]] War, Colonel John Pascoe "J.P." Grenfell (1866-1948), grandson of [[John Pascoe Grenfell]] and brother of [[Francis Octavius Grenfell]], came to South Africa after hearing rumors of valuable copper being in the area.<ref name=JP>{{cite news|title=Grenfell, Colonel John Pascoe|publisher=Biographical Database of Southern African Science|url=http://www.s2a3.org.za/bio/Biograph_final.php?serial=1144}}</ref><ref name=Francis>{{cite book|author=Paul Oldfield|title=Victoria Crosses on the Western Front August 1914 – April 1915: Mons to Hill 60|publisher=Pen and Sword|page=221|date=31 July 2014}}</ref> Two prospectors, James Harper and James Campbell, told Grenfell that there were copper deposits, south of the Limpopo River, where the local tribe discovered them.<ref name=JP/> Apparently, the tribe had mined the copper, but the prospectors said their mining of it had ceased.
Grenfell went to the area and had the deposits inspected.  After verifying that they were valuable, he purchased a farm, Berkenrode, near a planned mining site, in October 1903.<ref name=JP/> Five months later, he was granted a discoverer's certificate and, in that same month (March 1904), he founded the village Messina (later Musina).<ref name=JP/>
In January 1905, he founded, and chaired, the Messina ([[Transvaal (Province)|Transvaal]]) Development Company, which became one of the largest companies in South Africa.<ref name=JP/> Prior to becoming president of the United States, [[Herbert Hoover]], served on the board of the company from 1914 to 1916.<ref name=Hoover>{{cite news|title=Ajoite|publisher=Mindat|url=https://www.mindat.org/forum.php?read,66,124530,308326}}</ref> Most people in Musina are either [[Venda people]] or [[Sotho people]]. Roughly 5% of residents in Musina are English-speaking Whites of [[British diaspora in Africa|British descent]], almost exclusively this portion of the population are [[White Zimbabweans]] who have relocated to [[South Africa]] since the year 2000.<ref>Diasporas from States in Crisis: A Case Study of the Zimbabwean Diaspora and Its Role in the Homeland by Leigh Ann Detwiler</ref>
==Geography==
The [[Limpopo River]] is a large river which flows strongly during the annual rainy season, when [[lichen]] and other plant species of the dry region come alive. Sometimes, it floods it's dry river banks. The low-shrub and thorny tree lands that surround Musina and thrive in rains are alive with animals in sanctuaries that offer experienced-only camping safari accessible by sand and rock road tracks. Access is generally good, with the [[N1 road (South Africa)|N1 road]] from Johannesburg through Musina northwards being wide tar, as are most other roads in the area.
==Border with Zimbabwe==
The link with [[Zimbabwe]] at [[Beitbridge]] has become one of the busiest roads in the world and the busiest in [[Africa]], due to [[black market]] importers from Zimbabwe and people looking for employment. This is mainly due to thousands crossing the border into [[South Africa]] every day. According to the New York Times, in January 2009, Musina had a shifting population of about 15,000 foreigners, overwhelmingly Zimbabweans, many of whom lived in a refugee camp at the showground or in the streets. [http://www.zimbabwesituation.com/jan24a_2009.html#Z9]
==Name==
"''Musina''" in [[Venda language|TshiVenda]] means ''that which spoils''. Alluding to the fact that copper "spoilt" the [[Venda people|Venda's]] efforts to mine gold in the region, as they could not effectively separate the gold from the relatively insignificant copper.{{citation needed|date=May 2020}}
==Climate==
Musina experiences a [[hot semi-arid climate]] ([[Köppen-Geiger climate classification system|Koppen]]: BSh) with hot temperatures most of the year. Average annual precipitation amounts to {{convert|372|mm|in|abbr=on}}, and is highly concentrated in the summer months from October to April when severe late-afternoon and evening thunderstorms are common. Winter is extremely dry, with almost no precipitation, typically recorded in the driest months from June to August. Clear skies and exceptionally low humidity at this time of the year enable temperatures to plunge close to freezing at night, although frost is fairly uncommon.
{{Weather box
|location = Musina, South Africa
|single line = yes
|metric first = yes
|Jan high C = 33
|Feb high C = 32
|Mar high C = 31
|Apr high C = 30
|May high C = 28
|Jun high C = 25
|Jul high C = 25
|Aug high C = 27
|Sep high C = 29
|Oct high C = 31
|Nov high C = 32
|Dec high C = 32
|Jan low C = 21
|Feb low C = 21
|Mar low C = 19
|Apr low C = 16
|May low C = 12
|Jun low C = 8
|Jul low C = 8
|Aug low C = 10
|Sep low C = 14
|Oct low C = 17
|Nov low C = 19
|Dec low C = 20
|precipitation colour=green
|Jan precipitation mm = 61
|Feb precipitation mm = 65
|Mar precipitation mm = 42
|Apr precipitation mm = 26
|May precipitation mm = 12
|Jun precipitation mm = 4
|Jul precipitation mm = 1
|Aug precipitation mm = 2
|Sep precipitation mm = 15
|Oct precipitation mm = 33
|Nov precipitation mm = 55
|Dec precipitation mm = 56
|year precipitation mm = 372
|Jan precipitation days = 8
|Feb precipitation days = 8
|Mar precipitation days = 5
|Apr precipitation days = 4
|May precipitation days = 2
|Jun precipitation days = 2
|Jul precipitation days = 2
|Aug precipitation days = 1
|Sep precipitation days = 3
|Oct precipitation days = 5
|Nov precipitation days = 7
|Dec precipitation days = 9
|year precipitation days = 55
|source = World Climate Guide <ref> {{cite web
|url = http://www.worldclimateguide.co.uk/climateguides/southafrica/messina.php
|title = Climate Statistics for Musina, South Africa
|access-date = 15 January 2012}}</ref>
}}
==Schools==
===High schools===
* Hoërskool Eric Louw
* Musina High School
* Renaissance Secondary School
=== Primary schools ===
* Makushu Primary School
* Bonwa Udi Primary School
* Nehemiah Christian School
* Rehoshebah Primary school
* Gateway Primary school
* Rixile Primary School
* Messina Primary School
* St Martin De Porres Primary School
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline|Musina, South Africa}}
{{Vhembe District Municipality}}
[[Category:Populated places in the Musina Local Municipality]]
[[Category:Limpopo River]]
[[Category:Mining communities in South Africa]]