Tzaneen is a town situated at the intersection of the R36 and R71 Provincial Routes in the Limpopo Province of South Africa.
The town is part of the Greater Tzaneen Local Municipality in the Mopani District of Limpopo Province.
Tzaneen is the second largest town in Limpopo Province after Polokwane and is situated in a high rainfall fertile valley at Magoebaskloof with tropical and subtropical agriculture taking place in a 20,000 km2 (7,700 sq mi) region.
This town also includes the following areas – Modjadjikloof, Ofcolaco, Leydsdorp, Letsitele and Gravelotte.
The well-known Kruger National Park is located approximately 100 km from Tzaneen. The Vervet Monkey Foundation is situated just outside the town and it cares for over 600 vervet monkeys.
Tzaneen was established in 1919, deriving its name from, variously, ‘gathering place’ (derived from the word tsaneng), or tsana, meaning ‘basket of hills’.
Tzaneen is a popular tourist centre and excellent base for numerous scenic routes and as South Africa’s largest subtropical fruit producing area, agriculture is a major sector. Important crops include pawpaws, mangoes, avocados, tea, citrus fruit, litchis, winter vegetables and timber.
Unripe mangoes go to a local achar factory, where they are pickled and preserved in spiced oil. Of great interest are the exhibits at Tzaneen Museum, recounts the history and culture of the region’s diverse cultural groups. These include the royal drums of Modjadji, the Rain Queen, the largest collection of pole carvings in the country, 1 600-year-old pottery and ethnological artefacts.