Crossword Genius

House 1000 antelopes in areas of South Africa, once (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

homelands

'areas of south africa once' is the definition.
(type of territorial division in apartheid-era SA)

'house 1000 antelopes' is the wordplay.
'house' becomes 'ho' (abbreviation for house).
'1000' becomes 'm' ('m' can be a synonym of '1000').
'antelopes' becomes 'elands' (eland is a kind of antelope).
'ho'+'m'+'elands'='HOMELANDS'

'in' is the link.

(Another definition for homelands that I've seen is " defined areas of national importance".)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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