Sotho-Tswana

The Sotho-Tswana is the most commonly accepted name for a group of communities which speak Bantu languages living primarily in South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana and Zambia.

Language

:"See also: Sotho-Tswana languages"

The differentiation between the various black African groups in South Africa (Sotho-Tswana, Nguni, Vhavenda and Vatsonga) is primarily rooted in linguistics. They speak languages which fall under different sub-branches of the Bantu language group, just as Germanic languages are mutually intelligible to an extent, and totally different from Romance languages.

History

Sometime between 200-500 CE, Bantu speaking peoples, who originated in the Katanga area (today part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia), and had been expanding across sub-Saharan Africa, crossed the Limpopo River, entering the area today known as South Africa.

There were two broad waves of immigration to South Africa; Nguni and Sotho-Tswana. The former settled in the eastern coastal regions, while the latter settled primarily in the area known today as the Highveld — the large, relatively high central plateau of southern Africa.

By 1000 CE the Bantu colonization of most of South Africa had been completed, with the possible exception of what is now the Western Cape and the Northern Cape, which are believed to have been inhabited by Khoisan people until Dutch colonisation. The Bantu-speaking society was highly decentralized, organized on a basis of kraals (an enlarged clan), headed by a chief, who owed a very hazy allegiance to the nation's head chief.

Sotho-Tswana society was rocked at the beginning of the 19th century by two developments. The first was the Difaqane ("the crushing"), the forced migration and upheaval caused by the rise of the Zulu nation, which, under the reign of Shaka, evolved within two decades from a typical Bantu-speaking decentralized pastoral society into a highly centralized and organized nation-state, with a large and powerful standing army.

The second was the advance of Boer settlers from the Cape Colony into the interior territory, which was populated by Sotho-Tswana peoples. Those settlers are called "voortrekkers" and sought to leave British rule following the British seizure of the Cape Colony from the Netherlands.

The Basotho had at this critical time a leader, King Moshoeshoe, who was both an able military strategist and sophisticated diplomat. He succeeded in welding numerous clans into a kingdom capable of repelling attacks by the remnants of Nguni groups fleeing Zulu conquest of their lands. At the same time he reached an understanding with Shaka, who agreed that the Zulu would never attempt to conquer his kingdom.

The Basotho state he created was strong enough to keep the Boers at bay, maintaining the independence and integrity of his kingdom after the formation of the Orange Free State. As tensions between the two Boer republics (Orange Free State and the Transvaal) and the British increased, he was able to skillfully maneuver between them, and to fight to a stalemate when diplomacy failed. As a result, Lesotho (or Basutoland as it was previously known) was never part of South Africa, but became a Crown Colony and then an independent nation in 1965.

The Northern Sotho and Batswana were less politically centralized, and suffered worse during the Difaqane. The Matabele were a Nguni nation closely related to the Zulu who, under their leader Mzilikazi rebelled against Shaka, and fled KwaZulu (Zululand). He killed many of the Batswana, before finally settling down in the southwestern part of what is modern Zimbabwe, where he built his capital Bulawayo. After the initial assault, the Batswana kings were better prepared for Matabele aggression, and managed to fend off further invasion attempts.

The territory of Batswana was divided by the British and the Boer South African Republic (ZAR). With the formation of the Union of South Africa following the ZAR's defeat by the British in the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902), some of their territory became part of South Africa; the rest became the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, which became the independent state of Botswana in 1965.

Culture

Like other Bantu speaking societies, many Sotho-Tswana people still practice a traditional Shamanist type religion African Traditional Religion, based on devotion to ancestors — as intermediaries to God (a person is said to exist for as long as his "shadow" is still felt on earth by living relatives).

Each small settlement had its traditional herbalist healers ("dingaka"), who also function as shamans, spiritual counselors and protectors against evil spirits and black magic.

Under European influence, most Sotho-Tswana adopted Christianity. Lesotho is predominantly Catholic, a result of King Moshoeshoe's decision to invite French missionary organizations into his kingdom, as part of his diplomatic maneuvers to prevent any single European entity from dominating the area, which he realized would be disastrous for the Basotho people (later developments in neighbouring South Africa a century later proved how astute he had been). Most Batswana and northern Sotho belong to some Protestant denomination.

Contemporary Sotho-Tswana society is adapting to a rapidly urbanising population and culture. In rural areas, traditional culture remains an important force in daily life. In the region's urban areas, which are cosmopolitan, multi-racial and multi-cultural, western cultural norms are predominant.

Apartheid

Like all non-white South Africans, the Sotho-Tswana people suffered greatly under the apartheid regime that ruled South Africa from 1948–1991. They were forcibly relocated to the economically unsustainable designated homelands (apartheid left the majority African population with about 13% of the land, most of it unsuitable for cultivation). The Bantustan for the Batswana people was Bophuthatswana, while that for the Bapedi was Lebowa and for the Sesotho, QwaQwa.

References

*cite book|title=Language and Social History: Studies in South African Sociolinguistics|author=Mesthrie, Rajend|year=1995|isbn=0864862806|pages=49
*cite book|title=The Image of God Among the Sotho-Tswana|author=Setiloane, Gabriel M.|year=1976|isbn=9061910072