South Africa: Ethnicity
South Africa has a complex society characterized by cross-cutting social divisions based on race, language, religion, culture, skin color, class, tribalism, and country of origin˳ Apartheid created and maintained strict segregated policies that separated black and white residents in South Africa˳ During the apartheid era, Africans were housed in segregated areas based on ethnic lines and were schooled in ethnic schools separate from Europeans, ” colored, ” and Asians˳ Language is the most common way of identifying ethnic groups in South Africa˳ The South African black population had major ethnic divisions, especially between the Nguni and the Sotho languages˳ The Nguni comprises Zulu, Xhosa, Swazi, and Ndebele, while the Sotho comprises Tswana, Sepedi, and Sesotho˳
South African Tribes
The Zulu are the largest tribe in South Africa˳ Their language is a Bantu language and part of the Nguni subgroup˳ In South Africa, Zulu is the most spoken and understood language˳ The Zulu people mainly live in the provinces of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng˳ The Zulu are traditionally cattle farmers, the males are known to tend to the cattle, and the women would cook, clean, and tend to subsistent crops˳ The Zulu played a critical role in South Africa’s history during the 19th and 20th centuries˳ The Zulu were discriminated against and classified as third-class citizens during apartheid but have since gained equal rights˳ During this time, many Black South Africans left their ancestral homes and went searching for survival in urban jobs and the country’s mines after losing their land during apartheid˳ The transition from apartheid to democracy in the South African contemporary era has been heavily criticized by the Zulu community, as the promises of equality have not been met˳
The Xhosas are native Bantu Xhosa language speakers and the second largest ethnic group in South Africa˳ The Xhosa are mainly found in the Eastern Cape province˳ The Xhosa people were traditionally hunters and cattle herders˳ The Xhosa people held several rites of passage ceremonies such as goat sacrifice after childbirth, circumcision for boys also marked by goat sacrifice, and initiation for girls through dances and animal sacrifices˳ No surgical procedures were conducted for the initiation of the girls˳ The Xhosa homestead was independent with its livestock and lands˳
The Sotho speak the Sesotho language and are mainly situated in Free State Province in South Africa˳ Traditional Sotho society lived in villages ruled by chiefs˳ Men and women of similar ages lived together in traditional Sotho villages as they were organized by age˳ The Sotho are still livestock herders, usually on horseback˳ A man’s status in the Sotho community was determined by his relationship with the chief, age, and standing in the community˳ Men were skilled in wood, metal, and leather artisanry, while women were responsible for homestead tasks and agriculture˳ The culture, according to Sotho, allows men to be polygamous, and each wife would have her homestead ranked in order of seniority˳
Setswana language is the Bantu native language of the Tswana people˳ The Tswana live in Bophuthatswana, North West province, and Northern cape˳ The Tswana society had distinguished legal systems with a hierarchy of courts and mediators and strict punishment for the guilty˳ The traditional Tswana community depended on raising livestock and cultivating crops for subsistence use˳ Cattle, goats, sheep, and the cultivation of grains and tobacco were common among the Tswana˳ The Tswana believe in volunteering during plowing and harvesting on behalf of other families˳
