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The Sotho People of South Africa Facts & Worksheets

The Sotho (pronounced sootoo), also known as Suthu or Suto, are a cultural and ethnic group of people living in Lesotho, the Free State, Gauteng, and Eastern Cape Provinces of South Africa, with smaller clusters in Namibia and Zambia.

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The Sotho (pronounced sootoo), also known as Suthu or Suto, are a cultural and ethnic group of people living in Lesotho, the Free State, Gauteng, and Eastern Cape Provinces of South Africa, with smaller clusters in Namibia and Zambia. The Sotho people are divided into three major branches, the southern Sotho (Basuto and Sotho), the western Sotho (Tswana), and the northern Sotho (Pedi). About 99% of the Lesotho population are southern Sotho, whose history had a significant impact on the creation of the Orange Free State.

See the fact file below for more information on the Sotho People of South Africa or alternatively, you can download our 24-page The Sotho People of South Africa worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

HISTORY

  • There are four main ethnic groups of Black descent in southern Africa, namely the Nguni, Sotho-Tswana, Shangaan-Tsonga, and Venda. The Nguni and the Sotho people make up the majority of the Black population in the region.
  • The origins of the early Sotho remain unknown. However, it is believed that the Ironworkers, who were most likely Sotho-speakers, had lived in the town of Phalaborwa since the eighth century and in the Melville Koppies of the Johannesburg region since the 11th century.
  • Based on oral history, the founding lineage of the Sotho people was skilled in the art of smelting, which is often linked to ancient ceremonial dances. Moreover, archaeological data revealed that Sotho-speaking people who knew how to smelt are largely distributed in Gauteng, Botswana, the Northern Province, and the North West Province.
  • Icon, the first pottery identified with the Sotho people of South Africa, can be traced back to the 1300s and 1500s.
  • Anthropological and linguistic evidence, like that of the Nguni, also points to an East African root for Sotho-Tswana speakers, in what is now known as Tanzania.
  • In 1500, the Sotho people had traveled south and west of the African region, forming three different groups: the South Sotho (later known as the Basuto and Sotho), the West Sotho (later known as the Tswana), and the North Sotho (later known as the Pedi). In the early 19th century, distinctions among the three groups had been established following the Difaqane period.
  • Over the course of time, the Sotho people were often linked to the Fokeng people, who are Sotho-speakers, although new archaeological data show that the Fokeng tribe originated from the Nguni group and eventually spread from the Ntsoana Tsatsi near Frankfort in the Free State.
  • In the 1600s, the Fokeng arrived on the outskirts of the Caledon Valley, where the Phetla folks had already established themselves. Consequently, they interacted with the Southwestern and the Western Sotho-Tswana people in the northern part of the Vaal River.
  • In the late 17th century, the Western Sotho-Tswana folks, including the Kwena, traveled south of the Vaal River, reaching the Fokeng territory. Due to this interaction, the Fokeng folks adapted to the Sotho culture.
  • Since the Fokeng were great stone builders, the contact with the Fokeng people likewise resulted in the knowledge of stone building for the western and southwestern tribes, leading to many stonewalled settlements at the time.
  • However, the growing trade and colonial invasion brought conflicts to the Sotho-Tswana people beginning in 1750.
  • Competition for resources led many territories to become defensive settlements, including the Dithakong, Polokwane, and Kaditshwene, which housed tens of thousands of people in the early 1800s.
  • Due to political rivalries, chiefdoms had been divided several times. Fugitive peoples likewise pervaded Swaziland and northern KwaZulu Natal, as well as the Highveld and the Lowveld territories.

CULTURE

  • Although the culture of the Southern Sotho people has some similarities with the other groups, particularly the Tswana and the Pedi, there are distinct differences between the Sotho and the Nguni groups, including the Zulu, Xhosa, Ndebele, and Swazi.
  • One of the major cultural differences is their marriage traditions. In the Sotho society, a man pursues a bride based on kinship, while the Nguni people do not like marriages between related communities.
  • Moreover, the Nguni are divided into tribes, while the Sotho people are distinguished by totems or praise names derived from animal species or particular natural objects.
  • The Lion (Taung), Fish (Tlhaping), Elephant (Tloung), and Crocodile (Kwean) are some of the main Sotho clans.
  • The Sotho-speakers also prefer to cluster their properties into villages and have different technology than the Nguni. These villages are classified based on age, with each age set having particular responsibilities.
  • The majority of Sotho people living in Lesotho subsist on rearing horses, goats, and sheep. They also hunt and cultivate crops, like grains and tobacco. Additionally, they are great artisans, having knowledge of leatherwork, metalwork, and ivory and wood carving.
  • Modimo is the known name for the deity of the Sotho people. The spirits of one’s ancestors, the balimo, are revered at ceremonial feasts and are used to contact Modimo. Those who neglect or treat their ancestors with disrespect may be cursed with illness and bad luck.
  • Other Sotho customs include initiations into adulthood, circumcision for young boys, and funeral rites.

CHANGES

  • Under the rule of King Moshoeshoe in the 1830s, the people of the South Sotho, the Basuto and Sotho, had been integrated as the Basotho. Moreover, many small Sotho and Nguni tribes that had been displaced during the Difaqane period were brought under Moshoeshoe’s authority.
  • Some of these tribes formed alliances with the San folks living in the west of Moshoeshoe’s domain.
  • For this reason, the language of the South Sotho people, known as Sesotho, managed to develop a variety of ‘click’ sounds attributed to the Khoisan languages, in contrast to the North Sotho language.
  • The South African Constitution recognises Sotho as one of its 11 official languages. It is spoken by 7.9% of the country’s population. Ruled by the noun, Sotho is a tonal language that is divided into many groups.
  • Due to invasion and colonization, the Sotho people lost their ancestral lands at the beginning of the 20th century. Similarly, the raising of cattle became very difficult, and as a result of economic demands from western countries, the Sotho people in Lesotho and the rest of southern Africa became dependent on mining as their source of living.
  • Following this, there have been approximately 100,000 Basotho people who were working in the mines of South Africa since the early 1990s. The majority of South Africans also engage in urban labor.
  • During the Apartheid (racial segregation) period in the 1940s, Black South Africans experienced further changes. Homelands were established by the government of South Africa in 1953 as part of the Apartheid policies.
  • In effect, the people of South Sotho who did not live in Lesotho were displaced to QwaQwa, a small territory on the border of the country, which was proclaimed as independent in 1974. However, the homeland’s freedom was denied by Chief Minister Kenneth Mopeli, citing its lagging economy.
  • In the 1980s, there was only an estimated 200,000 Sotho people living in QwaQwa. By 1987, the Botshabelo people, which numbered about 300,000, had been integrated into the homeland, but many communities resisted the decision. This forced the South African Supreme Court to bring the Botshabelo people back to the authority of the Orange Free State.
  • Before the disintegration of homelands in 1994, QwaQwa remained to be overpopulated without any economic resources and support.

The Sotho People of South Africa Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Sotho People of South Africa across 24 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use The Sotho People of South Africa worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Sotho (pronounced sootoo), also known as Suthu or Suto, which are a cultural and ethnic group of people living in Lesotho, the Free State, Gauteng, and Eastern Cape Provinces of South Africa, with smaller clusters in Namibia and Zambia.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • The Sotho People of South Africa Facts
  • Mapping It Out
  • Find the Words
  • Fact or Bluff
  • The History of the Sotho People
  • King Moshoeshoe I
  • The Sotho People: Their Culture
  • Challenges Faced
  • The Sotho People: Their Legacy
  • Changes Encountered
  • In a Nutshell

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Use With Any Curriculum

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