Royal Bafokeng Nation
Encyclopedia
The Royal Bafokeng Nation is the ethnic homeland of the Bafokeng people, a Setswana-speaking traditional community. The monarchy covers 1400 square kilometres (540.5 sq mi) in the North West Province
of South Africa
. The administrative capital is Phokeng
, near Rustenburg. "Bafokeng" is used to refer to both the tribal grouping as well as the land its members inhabit. The kingdom's current ruler is King Leruo Molotlegi, who has reigned since 2000.
The nation has gained greater attention recently owing to its Royal Bafokeng Stadium
, where six of the FIFA 2010 World Cup games were played, and the Bafokeng Sports Campus, where they hosted the England football team
during the World Cup.
About 160,000 Bafokeng live in an area some 150 km North West of Johannesburg
, South Africa, with the balance scattered primarily throughout South Africa. The Royal Bafokeng Nation (RBN) has retained its unique cultural identity and traditional leadership structures and is led by a hereditary Kgosi (king), currently Kgosi Leruo Molotlegi.
Mining companies pay royalties to the RBN in exchange for the right to mine substantial reserves of Platinum Group Metals (PGMSs) such as platinum, ferrochrome, rhodium and palladium on RBN land. Today, RBN holds stakes in a number of mining ventures as well as diversified investments.
The Royal Bafokeng Nation comprises a number of entities, each of which has a crucial role to play in reaching the Nation’s goal of a sustainable and self-sufficient community, where people have the skills and the support to reach their highest potential:
people who, just over a thousand years ago travelled southwards from Central Africa over a period of 200 years. A substantial portion of the people settled in the area now incorporated into the countries of Botswana
and Zimbabwe
. Bafokeng, however, continued to travel south before finally settling in an area known as the Rustenburg valley during the 12th century, where the community remained relatively stable. The 17th Century King of The Bafokeng Nation was Kgosi Nape, who settled in the present Bafokeng area. The Royal Bafokeng Master Plan confirms this fact. His daughter, Mmakgabi married David Modibane. David Modibane was the first African Christian Evangelist in the greater Rustenburg area. The decedents of David and Mmakgabi Modibane are part of the Royal Bafokeng Nation.
Diamond mining in South Africa started in the 1860s. Thousands of fortune seekers from around the world flocked to Cape Town, the capital of the British-governed Cape colony, before undertaking the 1,500 km trek north of the arid western and Northern Cape to the mining town of Kimberley.
At the same time Afrikaner farmers (Boer
s), who wanted to escape British rule
, started to settle in Rustenburg valley. They ignored the traditional rights of ownership enjoyed by the Bafokeng and started to survey and register farms. Kgosi Mokgatle, great, great, great, great grand father of the current Kgosi, realized that ownership of traditional Bafokeng land was likely to be seized. In a remarkable act of foresight and collective sacrifice, he ordered units of young RBN men to walk to Kimberly to work and earn money that was accumulated in a central community fund. As funds were generated, Kgosi sought out the help of Lutheran missionaries to front the Bafokeng and buy up farms in the area. Some 900 hectares, or two thirds of the land currently owned by the Bafokeng, was acquired in this way over a twenty year period. Today, the Bafokeng continue to acquire land in the area.
In the 1920s, geologist Hans Merensky
discovered in the Rustenburg valley the surface outcrop of arguably the world's greatest ore body, a geological wonder known as the Bushveld Igneous Complex
. In particular, substantial reserves of Platinum Group Metals (PGMSs) such as platinum, palladuim, rhodium, ruthenium and iridium as well as gold referred to as 5PGM+Au were discovered on land owned by RBN. And thus began the pursuit of platinum.
Over the next 70 years, various attempts were made by the governments of the day, aided and assisted by the major mining companies, to dispossess RBN of their land rights. All were ultimately unsuccessful and the mining companies thereafter agreed to pay royalties to the RBN in exchange for the right to mine on RBN land.
For many years, RBN leadership was in conflict with the national and regional governments. The authorities retaliated by neglecting the development of the region. RBN therefore spends practically all of the royalty income it receives on infrastructure. During the past two decades, over R2 billion of communal wealth has been invested in regional infrastructure such as roads, and bridges, water reticulation and reservoirs, electricity supply extensions, schools, clinics, civic buildings and sports facilities.
Today, the Bafokeng Nation numbers roughly 300 000 people. About 160 000 live in an area some 150 km North West of Johannesburg, South Africa, with the balance scattered primarily throughout South Africa. The Royal Bafokeng Nation (RBN) has retained its unique cultural identity and traditional leadership structures and is led by a hereditary Kgosi (king), currently Kgosi Leruo Molotlegi.
in 1925. The Merensky Reef, a foot-thick layer of platinum-rich rock, is one of the richest platinum deposits in the world.
In 1999, the Bafokeng obtained a legal settlement that gave them a 22 percent royalty on all platinum taken from their territory and an ownership stake in Impala Mining Co., the second-largest platinum company in South Africa. The value of the Bafokeng's stake in Impala had tripled to more than $50 million by 2001. The Bafokeng receive annual royalties of approximately $63 million from platinum mining.
The Bafokeng have recruited several manufacturing companies to Phokeng as part of a drive to expand the nation's exports beyond raw materials. A 45,000-seat stadium
and athletic complex was built in Phokeng in 2000.
, the 36th recorded monarch of the Bafokeng people, was enthroned in August 2003. Molotlegi holds a bachelor's degree in architecture from the University of Natal
. Molotlegi's predecessor was his elder brother, King Lebone II.
Vision
The Royal Bafokeng, the Supreme Council and Kgosi, are determined to develop the Nation to be a self-sufficient Community by the second decade of the 21st century.
Mission
We give our full and relentless commitment to provide our community with all basic human needs. To provide continued promotion of respect and enhancement of our culture and economic self sufficiency. In all these endeavours we shall not falter in holding our respect and loyalty to our Kgosi and the community, and hold dearly our land.
Vision 2020
Even before his enthronement as King of the Royal Bafokeng Nation, Kgosi Leruo Molotlegi set in motion the vital next phase in the development of his people. His brother, Kgosi Mollwane Lebone Boikanyo Molotlegi, paved the way for the initiative by proclaiming Vision 2020. This boldly challenges the Bafokeng people to reduce their dependency on their diminishing mineral assets and to become a self-sufficient community within the first 20 years of this century. Kgosi Leruo's challenge is to devise a workable plan to realize Vision 2020.
Thus, the time has come for the Royal Bafokeng Nation, like the oil-rich Middle East, to reduce its dependency on natural resources and develop new sources of wealth. The Bafokeng, Kgosi Leruo has concluded, must diversify by securing interests in other sectors of the economy and develop a more balanced portfolio, as it were.
The main areas of emphasis of Vision 2020 fall into the following areas:
List of the most recent kings and their periods of reigned:
Kgosi Leruo Molotlegi is the leader of the 300 000 strong Royal Bafokeng Nation based in Phokeng in the North West Province of South Africa. He is the 36th King of the Bafokeng and the 15th direct descendent of a long lineage of the Bafokeng kings.
Under the leadership of Kgosi Leruo Molotlegi, the Royal Bafokeng Supreme Council has embarked on a mission of providing the Bafokeng Community with all basic human needs to provide continued promotion of respect and enhancement of Bafokeng culture and economic self-sufficiency.
Based on this idea, the Royal Bafokeng, Supreme Council and Kgosi have a vision: "To develop themselves to be a self-sufficient community by the second decade of the 21st Century.”
Kgosi Leruo Molotlegi has four siblings, three sisters and one brother. Kgosi is a former member of the Implats board, the world second largest platinum producer and now sits in the newly established Royal Bafokeng Resources (RBR) as a non-Executive Director. RBR is a wholly owned Bafokeng company. Kgosi is also the President of the Mineral Rights Association of Indigenous People of South Africa and was one of the principal negotiators in the new mining legislation, which seeks to encourage significant black participation.
Kgosi Leruo Molotlegi is an alumnus of Hilton College in Natal, South Africa. He holds a university degree in Architecture and Urban Planning from Natal University.
He is a keen sportsman and was awarded a Victor Ludorum Gold Medallion at Hilton. He is a fixed wing and rotorcraft pilot and has been appointed as an Honorary Colonel in the South African Air Force.
Mokgwaro George Molotlegi (1936 to 1997) was the brother of Kgosi Edward Patrick Lebone Molotlegi who ruled the Bafokeng from 1988 to 1994. During his reign, South Africa's ruling National Party had created the Bophuthatswana government as the authority over all Batswana people, including the Bafokeng. Kgosi Lebone's opposition to the move brought him into conflict with the then Bophuthatswana "president", Lucas Mangope, who detained the Bafokeng king and harassed him until he was forced to flee to neighbouring Botswana.
Mangope then recognized Mokgwaro George Molotlegi as Kgosi of the Bafokeng. This situation prevailed until 1994 when Mangope was forced out of power with the advent of democracy in this country.
This enabled Kgosi Lebone to return to Phokeng and to once again lead his people. His return was marked by tumultuous celebrations, but they were short lived as Kgosi Lebone died in November 1995. The would-be Kgosi Mokgwaro George Molotlegi returned to his home in the area and remained there until his death in December 1997.
ic tradition, where allegiance to a specific animal is paid. The Crocodile is the genealogical symbol of the Royal Bafokeng Nation, and is always depicted with a closed mouth. Similarly, the posture of the crocodile depicts movement towards water, which the Bafokeng people believe to be a sign of contentment. The Royal Bafokeng's motto is a e wele mo metsing (idiomatically translated as "let there be peace"). The Royal Bafokeng Nation praise idiom is “MaNape a Tshukudu E naka le nthla E tlhabang e itlhabela” (literally translated as "Nape the Rhino, with a sharp horn, that pierces as it pierces for itself"
The crocodile is the genealogical totem of the Basotho-Batswana people, who include the Bafokeng. The crocodile is depicted by other Basotho-Batswana groups with its mouth open. The Bafokeng have always depicted their crocodile with its mouth shut. How the crocodile became the totem of Basotho-Batswana, and Bafokeng, people is also obscure.
are: Prince George's County
, Maryland
, USA
North West (South African province)
North West is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Mafikeng. The province is located to the west of the major population centre of Gauteng.-History:...
of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. The administrative capital is Phokeng
Phokeng
Phokeng is a town in the North West province of South Africa. It is the capital of the Royal Bafokeng Nation and lies near Rustenburg.-Etymology:Phokeng gained its name from the Setswana word for dew, Phoka, hence Place of dew...
, near Rustenburg. "Bafokeng" is used to refer to both the tribal grouping as well as the land its members inhabit. The kingdom's current ruler is King Leruo Molotlegi, who has reigned since 2000.
The nation has gained greater attention recently owing to its Royal Bafokeng Stadium
Royal Bafokeng Stadium
The Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace is a football, rugby and athletics stadium in Phokeng near Rustenburg, South Africa It was built and is managed by the Royal Bafokeng Nation.. It is used as the home stadium for Premier Soccer League club Platinum Stars...
, where six of the FIFA 2010 World Cup games were played, and the Bafokeng Sports Campus, where they hosted the England football team
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
during the World Cup.
Background
The Bafokeng ('People of the dew', or 'People of the grass') comprise roughly 300,000 people. Oral tradition suggests that when they settled in the Rustenburg valley, it captured heavy overnight dew, holding the promise that the land would be fertile and hence that the community would prosper. They struggled to buy the land, repelling invaders and imperialists as they did so. They have had the extraordinary good fortune to see the discovery on their land of the world's largest deposits of platinum group metals. And they have wisely invested royalties and dividends from mining companies on their land to establish their own civic administration and social services.About 160,000 Bafokeng live in an area some 150 km North West of Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, South Africa, with the balance scattered primarily throughout South Africa. The Royal Bafokeng Nation (RBN) has retained its unique cultural identity and traditional leadership structures and is led by a hereditary Kgosi (king), currently Kgosi Leruo Molotlegi.
Mining companies pay royalties to the RBN in exchange for the right to mine substantial reserves of Platinum Group Metals (PGMSs) such as platinum, ferrochrome, rhodium and palladium on RBN land. Today, RBN holds stakes in a number of mining ventures as well as diversified investments.
The Royal Bafokeng Nation comprises a number of entities, each of which has a crucial role to play in reaching the Nation’s goal of a sustainable and self-sufficient community, where people have the skills and the support to reach their highest potential:
- Royal Bafokeng Holdings (RBH), an investment entity in Johannesburg, which is responsible for overseeing the growth and maintenance of the community’s income streams.
- Royal Bafokeng Sports, is an entity within the Royal Bafokeng Holdings and it is in charge of the Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace, an official venue for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
- Royal Bafokeng Administration (RBA) is principally a town planning unit charged with service delivery and monitoring the progress of the Master Plan across all the regions. It looks after the various wards (kgotla) within the Nation to ensure that infrastructure and services are in line with the long-term vision.
- Royal Bafokeng Institute (RBI) is aimed at uplifting the quality of educationEducationEducation in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
and learning in the Royal Bafokeng Nation.
History
Bafokeng are descendants of the Sotho-TswanaSotho-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, Zimbabwe and Zambia.-Language:...
people who, just over a thousand years ago travelled southwards from Central Africa over a period of 200 years. A substantial portion of the people settled in the area now incorporated into the countries of Botswana
Botswana
Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...
and Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
. Bafokeng, however, continued to travel south before finally settling in an area known as the Rustenburg valley during the 12th century, where the community remained relatively stable. The 17th Century King of The Bafokeng Nation was Kgosi Nape, who settled in the present Bafokeng area. The Royal Bafokeng Master Plan confirms this fact. His daughter, Mmakgabi married David Modibane. David Modibane was the first African Christian Evangelist in the greater Rustenburg area. The decedents of David and Mmakgabi Modibane are part of the Royal Bafokeng Nation.
Diamond mining in South Africa started in the 1860s. Thousands of fortune seekers from around the world flocked to Cape Town, the capital of the British-governed Cape colony, before undertaking the 1,500 km trek north of the arid western and Northern Cape to the mining town of Kimberley.
At the same time Afrikaner farmers (Boer
Boer
Boer is the Dutch and Afrikaans word for farmer, which came to denote the descendants of the Dutch-speaking settlers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 18th century, as well as those who left the Cape Colony during the 19th century to settle in the Orange Free State,...
s), who wanted to escape British rule
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
, started to settle in Rustenburg valley. They ignored the traditional rights of ownership enjoyed by the Bafokeng and started to survey and register farms. Kgosi Mokgatle, great, great, great, great grand father of the current Kgosi, realized that ownership of traditional Bafokeng land was likely to be seized. In a remarkable act of foresight and collective sacrifice, he ordered units of young RBN men to walk to Kimberly to work and earn money that was accumulated in a central community fund. As funds were generated, Kgosi sought out the help of Lutheran missionaries to front the Bafokeng and buy up farms in the area. Some 900 hectares, or two thirds of the land currently owned by the Bafokeng, was acquired in this way over a twenty year period. Today, the Bafokeng continue to acquire land in the area.
In the 1920s, geologist Hans Merensky
Hans Merensky
Hans Merensky was a German South African geologist, prospector, scientist, conservationist and philanthropist...
discovered in the Rustenburg valley the surface outcrop of arguably the world's greatest ore body, a geological wonder known as the Bushveld Igneous Complex
Bushveld igneous complex
The Bushveld Igneous Complex is a large layered igneous intrusion within the Earth's crust which has been tilted and eroded and now outcrops around what appears to be the edge of a great geological basin, the Transvaal Basin. Located in South Africa, the BIC contains some of the richest ore...
. In particular, substantial reserves of Platinum Group Metals (PGMSs) such as platinum, palladuim, rhodium, ruthenium and iridium as well as gold referred to as 5PGM+Au were discovered on land owned by RBN. And thus began the pursuit of platinum.
Over the next 70 years, various attempts were made by the governments of the day, aided and assisted by the major mining companies, to dispossess RBN of their land rights. All were ultimately unsuccessful and the mining companies thereafter agreed to pay royalties to the RBN in exchange for the right to mine on RBN land.
For many years, RBN leadership was in conflict with the national and regional governments. The authorities retaliated by neglecting the development of the region. RBN therefore spends practically all of the royalty income it receives on infrastructure. During the past two decades, over R2 billion of communal wealth has been invested in regional infrastructure such as roads, and bridges, water reticulation and reservoirs, electricity supply extensions, schools, clinics, civic buildings and sports facilities.
Today, the Bafokeng Nation numbers roughly 300 000 people. About 160 000 live in an area some 150 km North West of Johannesburg, South Africa, with the balance scattered primarily throughout South Africa. The Royal Bafokeng Nation (RBN) has retained its unique cultural identity and traditional leadership structures and is led by a hereditary Kgosi (king), currently Kgosi Leruo Molotlegi.
Natural resources
Much of the terrain is rolling grassland. Farming was the primary occupation until the discovery of the Merensky ReefMerensky Reef
The Merensky Reef, is a layer of igneous rock in the Bushveld Igneous Complex in the Transvaal which together with an underlying layer, the Upper Group 2 Reef , contains most of the world's known reserves of platinum group metals or platinum group elements - platinum, palladium, rhodium,...
in 1925. The Merensky Reef, a foot-thick layer of platinum-rich rock, is one of the richest platinum deposits in the world.
In 1999, the Bafokeng obtained a legal settlement that gave them a 22 percent royalty on all platinum taken from their territory and an ownership stake in Impala Mining Co., the second-largest platinum company in South Africa. The value of the Bafokeng's stake in Impala had tripled to more than $50 million by 2001. The Bafokeng receive annual royalties of approximately $63 million from platinum mining.
The Bafokeng have recruited several manufacturing companies to Phokeng as part of a drive to expand the nation's exports beyond raw materials. A 45,000-seat stadium
Royal Bafokeng Stadium
The Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace is a football, rugby and athletics stadium in Phokeng near Rustenburg, South Africa It was built and is managed by the Royal Bafokeng Nation.. It is used as the home stadium for Premier Soccer League club Platinum Stars...
and athletic complex was built in Phokeng in 2000.
Administration
King Leruo Tshekedi MoletlegiLeruo Molotlegi
King Leruo Tshekedi Molotlegi is a South African royal. Molotlegi is the 36th paramount ruler, or King , of the Royal Bafokeng Nation. Molotlegi has served as King since 2000, when he succeeded his brother, Kgosi Mollwane Molotlegi. Molotlegi's official coronation was not held until August 16,...
, the 36th recorded monarch of the Bafokeng people, was enthroned in August 2003. Molotlegi holds a bachelor's degree in architecture from the University of Natal
University of Natal
The University of Natal was a university in Natal, and later KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, that is now part of the University of KwaZulu-Natal. It was founded in 1910 as the Natal University College in Pietermaritzburg, and expanded to include a campus in Durban in 1931. In 1947, the university...
. Molotlegi's predecessor was his elder brother, King Lebone II.
Vision
The Royal Bafokeng, the Supreme Council and Kgosi, are determined to develop the Nation to be a self-sufficient Community by the second decade of the 21st century.
Mission
We give our full and relentless commitment to provide our community with all basic human needs. To provide continued promotion of respect and enhancement of our culture and economic self sufficiency. In all these endeavours we shall not falter in holding our respect and loyalty to our Kgosi and the community, and hold dearly our land.
Vision 2020
Even before his enthronement as King of the Royal Bafokeng Nation, Kgosi Leruo Molotlegi set in motion the vital next phase in the development of his people. His brother, Kgosi Mollwane Lebone Boikanyo Molotlegi, paved the way for the initiative by proclaiming Vision 2020. This boldly challenges the Bafokeng people to reduce their dependency on their diminishing mineral assets and to become a self-sufficient community within the first 20 years of this century. Kgosi Leruo's challenge is to devise a workable plan to realize Vision 2020.
Thus, the time has come for the Royal Bafokeng Nation, like the oil-rich Middle East, to reduce its dependency on natural resources and develop new sources of wealth. The Bafokeng, Kgosi Leruo has concluded, must diversify by securing interests in other sectors of the economy and develop a more balanced portfolio, as it were.
The main areas of emphasis of Vision 2020 fall into the following areas:
- Investment diversification
- Economic Development
- Education Planning
- Infrastructure Development/Master Plan
- Health and Social Planning
- Crime Free Environment
Royal family
The Bafokeng people trace their history back to the year 1140. Kgosi (King) Sekete III, who ruled in the early 18th century, was the first in the line of the current king, Kgosi Leruo Molotlegi being his 15th direct descendant. Sekete III was followed by kings Diale, Ramorwa, Sekete IV, and Thethe. Then came arguably the most influential king in Bafokeng history: Kgosi August Mokgatle, who reigned from 1834 to 1891. Pooling community resources, he started buying land the Bafokeng had occupied for centuries. Mokgatle died 33 years before the world's richest deposits of platinum group metals were discovered under Bafokeng land. But his actions enabled his people to lease their mineral rights and eventually to claim royalties, which have been invested to establish a competent administration, civil service and infrastructure.List of the most recent kings and their periods of reigned:
- 1834–1891: Kgosi Mokgatle;
- 1891–1896: Kgosi Tumagole;
- 1897–1938: Kgosi Molotlegi;
- 1938–1956: Kgosi Manotshe Molotlegi;
- 1956–1995: Kgosi Lebone Edward Molotlegi;
- 1995–2000: Kgosi Mollwane Molotlegi
- 2000-Present: Kgosi Leruo Molotlegi
Kgosi Leruo Molotlegi is the leader of the 300 000 strong Royal Bafokeng Nation based in Phokeng in the North West Province of South Africa. He is the 36th King of the Bafokeng and the 15th direct descendent of a long lineage of the Bafokeng kings.
Under the leadership of Kgosi Leruo Molotlegi, the Royal Bafokeng Supreme Council has embarked on a mission of providing the Bafokeng Community with all basic human needs to provide continued promotion of respect and enhancement of Bafokeng culture and economic self-sufficiency.
Based on this idea, the Royal Bafokeng, Supreme Council and Kgosi have a vision: "To develop themselves to be a self-sufficient community by the second decade of the 21st Century.”
Kgosi Leruo Molotlegi has four siblings, three sisters and one brother. Kgosi is a former member of the Implats board, the world second largest platinum producer and now sits in the newly established Royal Bafokeng Resources (RBR) as a non-Executive Director. RBR is a wholly owned Bafokeng company. Kgosi is also the President of the Mineral Rights Association of Indigenous People of South Africa and was one of the principal negotiators in the new mining legislation, which seeks to encourage significant black participation.
Kgosi Leruo Molotlegi is an alumnus of Hilton College in Natal, South Africa. He holds a university degree in Architecture and Urban Planning from Natal University.
He is a keen sportsman and was awarded a Victor Ludorum Gold Medallion at Hilton. He is a fixed wing and rotorcraft pilot and has been appointed as an Honorary Colonel in the South African Air Force.
Mokgwaro George Molotlegi (1936 to 1997) was the brother of Kgosi Edward Patrick Lebone Molotlegi who ruled the Bafokeng from 1988 to 1994. During his reign, South Africa's ruling National Party had created the Bophuthatswana government as the authority over all Batswana people, including the Bafokeng. Kgosi Lebone's opposition to the move brought him into conflict with the then Bophuthatswana "president", Lucas Mangope, who detained the Bafokeng king and harassed him until he was forced to flee to neighbouring Botswana.
Mangope then recognized Mokgwaro George Molotlegi as Kgosi of the Bafokeng. This situation prevailed until 1994 when Mangope was forced out of power with the advent of democracy in this country.
This enabled Kgosi Lebone to return to Phokeng and to once again lead his people. His return was marked by tumultuous celebrations, but they were short lived as Kgosi Lebone died in November 1995. The would-be Kgosi Mokgwaro George Molotlegi returned to his home in the area and remained there until his death in December 1997.
Totemic tradition
Most Setswana tribes remain within the totemTotem
A totem is a stipulated ancestor of a group of people, such as a family, clan, group, lineage, or tribe.Totems support larger groups than the individual person. In kinship and descent, if the apical ancestor of a clan is nonhuman, it is called a totem...
ic tradition, where allegiance to a specific animal is paid. The Crocodile is the genealogical symbol of the Royal Bafokeng Nation, and is always depicted with a closed mouth. Similarly, the posture of the crocodile depicts movement towards water, which the Bafokeng people believe to be a sign of contentment. The Royal Bafokeng's motto is a e wele mo metsing (idiomatically translated as "let there be peace"). The Royal Bafokeng Nation praise idiom is “MaNape a Tshukudu E naka le nthla E tlhabang e itlhabela” (literally translated as "Nape the Rhino, with a sharp horn, that pierces as it pierces for itself"
Flag
The Crocodile is the symbol of the Royal Bafokeng people. The posture of the crocodile denotes movement towards water, which the Bafokeng people believe to be a sign of contentment. This results in a common expression used in meetings: a e wele mo metsing (idiomatically translated as "let there be peace".)The crocodile is the genealogical totem of the Basotho-Batswana people, who include the Bafokeng. The crocodile is depicted by other Basotho-Batswana groups with its mouth open. The Bafokeng have always depicted their crocodile with its mouth shut. How the crocodile became the totem of Basotho-Batswana, and Bafokeng, people is also obscure.
Sister cities
Among Royal Bafokeng Nation sister cities as designated by Sister Cities InternationalSister Cities International
Sister Cities International is a nonprofit citizen diplomacy network that creates and strengthens partnerships between United States and international communities. More than 2,000 cities, states and counties are partnered in 136 countries around the world...
are: Prince George's County
Prince George's County, Maryland
Prince George's County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland, immediately north, east, and south of Washington, DC. As of 2010, it has a population of 863,420 and is the wealthiest African-American majority county in the nation....
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
External links
- World Cup Comes to the People of the Dew TIME Magazine
- Royal Host to Invest in Subjects' Future New York Times
- Africa's Platinum Plated Tribe The Independent
- Bafokeng ready to host England's world cup party The Telegraph
- African tribe has rich aspirations LA Times