Mzansi is a popular tourist destination because of its beaches, mountains, and savannas. But it offers more than good looking place for tourists when it comes to the broad history that South Africa has, tradition and culture are what is celebrated the most and continues to bring everyone together on the day of heritage. Here we bring to you the beautiful South African tribes and each tribe’s brief history.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tswana

Southern African Bantu speakers, the Tswana (Batswana) are native to Southern Africa and speak a Bantu dialect. Batswana are the indigenous people of southern and eastern Botswana, as well as the Gauteng, North West, Northern Cape, and Free State provinces of South Africa, where the majority of Batswana live.

A common feature of Tswana culture is a complex legal system with a hierarchy of courts and mediators. For subsistence, the Sotho, like many neighbouring Nguni peoples, have traditionally relied on a combination of livestock raising and crop cultivation.

Cape Coloureds

It is an ethnic group in South Africa with a wide range of ancestral connections, which is known as the Cape Coloureds. Slave imports from the Dutch East Indies and European settlers are all possible ancestors (or a combination of all).

Reception. As part of a long-standing cultural tradition, residents of Cape Town had their upper front teeth extracted for many years. A 2003 study by the University of Cape Town found that fashion and peer pressure were the most common reasons for tooth extraction, followed by gangsterism and medical reasons.

Pedi

They are Bantu-speaking Bantu people who live in Limpopo province in South Africa and make up the largest group of the Northern Sotho ethnolinguistic cluster. They numbered about 3,700,000 people in the late 20th century, according to the United Nations Population Division.

Tribes like the Bapedi follow their ancestors’ ways of life. Bapedi culture is best understood through the Malopo ritual, which is the most important of them all. In general, this is known as go phasa. Animal sacrifices or the presentation of beer by the family’s most important member, Kgadi, are common parts of this ritual. While some people use goats or cows to communicate with their ancestors and some people use snuff and tlhotlwa, others use a combination of the two (African traditional beer).

Sotho

The “Fokeng”, who are now Sotho-speaking, are associated with the South-Sotho cluster. As a result, they have always been regarded by oral historians as the oldest of the Sotho peoples.

Basotho also dress a person to show off his status. A red blanket is used to cover prisoners in modern-day Lesotho, for example. The new person is represented by this blanket.

Ndebele

The Southern African Ndebele are a South African Nguni ethnic group who speak Southern Ndebele, which is distinct from the Zimbabwean Ndebele language.

Traditionally, women paint the walls, and mothers pass this tradition and style down from generation to generation. A good painting on a house is a sign of a good wife and mother. Painting the exterior gates, front walls, sidewalls, and usually the interior of her home is her responsibility.

Afrikaans

They are descendants of Dutch colonists who came to the Cape of Good Hope in the 17th and 18th centuries. Before 1994, they were the dominant force in South Africa’s politics and commercial agriculture sector.

The Boers are known for a braai as one of their common practices. The term ‘braai’ derives from the Dutch word “Braden” which means “roast” and has since come to refer to the social gathering, the grill and the action of cooking the meat. Every time South Africans congregate around this term, we are united in pride.

Khoisan

Their history is both fascinating and a “Somber” reminder of how our direct and indirect actions can lead to the demise of an entire people. Today’s Khoisan people were skilled hunters and gatherers as well as nomad farmers who lived off the land.

For hunting, they had a remarkable sense of awareness. They used poison-tipped arrows to hunt wild animals across the land.

According to popular belief, the San people used natural materials to create their rock art. Animal hair or feathers were used to make brushes. The use of feathers to create finer lines in paintings and the use of fingers to apply paint is also believed to have been common practices. Ochre, blood, and ash are some of the materials used. Blood, fat, and egg whites were added to paints made from naturally occurring dyes.

Venda

According to legend, the Mapungubwe Kingdom, formed in the ninth century, is where the Venda people and culture had their start. They were first ruled by King Shiriyadenga, whose realm stretched from Soutpansberg in southern Africa, all the way across the Limpopo River and the Matopos to the north.

A vibrant mythical belief system underpins the Venda culture. Lakes and rivers are revered, and the Python God is believed to be in charge of the weather. Lake Fundudzi is one of Venda’s most sacred sites.

Tsonga

Their history dates back to the days of King Shaka Zulu when they traded fabric and beads in exchange for copper and ivory, as well as salt. During the Mfecane upheaval, King Shaka sent Soshangane (Manukosi) to conquer present-day Southern Mozambique.

“Xibelani” t is an indigenous dance of the Tsonga women of the Limpopo province in northern South Africa, also known as Shibelani, Shibelana, and Shibelane. The dance’s name is derived from the native Xitsonga language and can be translated as “hitting to the rhythm,” as in the concept “xi Bela ni vunanga.”

Swati

In the 15th century, Nguni-speaking clans migrated from North-East Africa to South-East Africa and settled in the EmaSwati area. They crossed the border into southern Mozambique, and then into the present-day Eswatini region, which was inhabited at the time by Sans.

Throughout history, Swazi culture has been a way of life and a set of customs for the Swazi people. Swazi culture encompasses music, food, religion, architecture, and kinship, among many other aspects of the Swazi people. Several Nguni clans speak siSwati, which is the Swazi language.

Zulu

Originally from Southern Africa, the Zulu are part of the Nguni tribe. Approximately 10–12 million Zulu people live primarily in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa, making them the largest ethnic group and nation in South Africa. They are descended from Nguni communities that migrated with the Bantu people.

Known for their fierce fighting spirit, they have produced legendary warriors such as Shaka Zulu who played a prominent role in several Zulu wars throughout history.

Xhosa

An ethnic group living in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, the Xhosa, used to be called the “Xosa”. Southern Nguni speaks mutually intelligible varieties of the Bantu language of the Niger-Congo family called Xhosa.

Jewellery is an absolute must for Xhosa women, and it’s not just for men. Beads are used to make traditional Xhosa jewellery such as earrings, necklaces, and collars. In terms of size, some collars extend to the shoulders, while others flow over the shoulders and down to mid-arm. In addition to being available in a wide variety of colours including red, blue, dark blue and white they also look stunning when made with primary colours such as red, blue, dark blue, white and yellow.

A wraparound skirt is worn by Xhosa men, which extends from the waist to the toes. When it gets cold, they drape a long scarf over one shoulder, which also serves as a cloak. Following their tribal customs, they wear headdresses made of beads or cloth, as appropriate.