| Dinokana | |
| Pushpin Map: | South Africa North West#South Africa |
| Coordinates: | -25.447°N 25.863°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | South Africa |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | North West |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Name2: | Ngaka Modiri Molema |
| Subdivision Type3: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name3: | Ramotshere Moiloa |
| Subdivision Type4: | Main Place |
| Established Title: | Established |
| Leader Title: | Councillor |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 39.34 |
| Population Total: | 26409 |
| Population As Of: | 2011 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type1: | Racial makeup (2011) |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Black African |
| Demographics1 Info1: | 99.4% |
| Demographics1 Title2: | Coloured |
| Demographics1 Info2: | 0.2% |
| Demographics1 Title3: | Indian/Asian |
| Demographics1 Info3: | 0.2% |
| Demographics1 Title4: | White |
| Demographics1 Info4: | 0.1% |
| Demographics1 Title5: | Other |
| Demographics1 Info5: | 0.1% |
| Demographics Type2: | First languages (2011) |
| Demographics2 Title1: | Tswana |
| Demographics2 Info1: | 92.4% |
| Demographics2 Title2: | English |
| Demographics2 Info2: | 2.6% |
| Demographics2 Title3: | Zulu |
| Demographics2 Info3: | 1.3% |
| Demographics2 Title4: | S. Ndebele |
| Demographics2 Info4: | 1.2% |
| Demographics2 Title5: | Other |
| Demographics2 Info5: | 2.4% |
| Timezone1: | SAST |
| Utc Offset1: | +2 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code (street) |
| Postal Code: | 2868 |
| Postal2 Code Type: | PO box |
| Postal2 Code: | 2868 |
| Area Code Type: | Area code |
| Area Code: | 018 |
Dinokana is a town in Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality in the North West province of South Africa.
The area became the main town of the Bahurutshe in 1849, when Kgosi Moiloa I settled it with about 1,500 people, who had been displaced following the Difaqane war. Moiloa was accompanied by the Reverend Walter Inglis of the London Missionary Society.[2]
In 1875, a succession dispute in the aftermath of Moiloa's death led to the displacement of many BaHurutshe, and nearly half of the population moved to Gopane.[2]
Dinokana was the centre of the Bahurutshe resistance of the 1950s. Kgosi Abram Ramotshere Moiloa was banished by the Apartheid Government in 1957 after he refused to enforce the carrying of passbooks by Hurutshe women as obliged by apartheid law.[3] The women of Dinokana had largely refused to carry the passbooks, and Kgosi Moiloa had supported their decision. At the first meeting held by the native commissioner, 1000 women gathered but only 70 passbooks were taken out, Kgosi Moiloa was deposed a week later.[4] Better known as the Zeerust uprising or the Hurutshe revolt, a popular uprising engulfed Lehurutshe in reaction to the punitive actions of the apartheid state, led particularly by the women of Lehurutse.[5]
In the 1980s, while the town was part of Bophuthatswana, a number of agricultural schemes were started close to Dinokana, and the town of Lehurutshe was built about away to resettle some of the villagers.[2] Dinokana has primary schools and high schools.