Lake Fundudzi, a sacred place for the Netshiavha clan where they communicate with their ancestors at Tshiavha, outside Thohoyandou, will soon be declared a national heritage site.

This will also mean an economic boost as the lake will become a tourist attraction for local people. Plans are almost complete for this step.

The move will assist the unemployed in fighting poverty and unemployment which are hindering development of the rural communities of Tshiavha, Tshiheni and Mademeni villages.

The South African Heritage Resources Authority’s (SAHRA) manager, Calvin Lithole, said in a report on research conducted recently to find out whether Lake Fundudzi has a history related to the people of South Africa, that Lake Fundudzi could be declared a national heritage site because it is a place of praying to and pleasing the ancestors. It is a tourist attraction and is of environmental importance. “We also found that the place is mysterious because its surroundings are always wet, even when no good rains have fallen,” said Lithole. He said with mystery surrounding Lake Fundudzi, people from everywhere would want to know as much as possible about it.

Mr Dirk Devet, manager of heritage in the provincial department of sport, arts and culture, said the lake will be declared a national heritage site very soon. He said the place will be fenced to protect the lake, so that people could not vandalize the big development.

Headman Ntsandeni Netshiavha of Tshiavha village outside Thohoyandou, where the lake is situated, welcomed the move to turn this sacred place into a tourist attraction and said it would help to fight unemployment in the area. He said Lake Fundudzi was not made by human hands, but by the ancestors, whom they worship in the water. Netshiavha said as a clan they were blessed to have discovered the lake and to have associated it with their ancestors.