Municipal border disputes in Vhembe district municipality, Limpopo province of South Africa

A fundamental concern of social science scholarship on borders is the need to understand their dynamics, geopolitics, and impacts as social processes. This study aims to understand the politics of re-determination of municipal borders, and provides an account of why the new municipal re-determination contributed to disputes. A mixed-methods approach, combining interviews, documents and observations was undertaken, and the data collected underwent qualitative analysis. Attempts by the Municipal Demarcation Board to re-determine borders led to violent demarcation protests. Lack of consultation, ethnicity/language differentiation, and limited socio-economic opportunities following the re-determination of borders were the main issues that intensified the dispute.