S.2 HISTORY S.

AFRICA HOME STUDY WORK – WEEK 6

THE BANTU SPEAKING PEOPLE OF SOUTH AFRICA.

 FACTORS FOR THE MIGRATION OF BANTU TO SOUTH AFRICA

 Bantu refers to related people speaking related languages with root word -ntu, -ndu or -atu to mean a person.
 Bantu had begun settling in South Africa from 1000 AD from Congo which was their dispersal center after a
long journey from West Africa.
 They belong to the Negroid race of Africa.They were tall people and well built unlike the Khoisan who were
short and weakly- built.
 There are four groups of Bantu who settle in South Africa; the shona, Sotho Tswana, nguni-tsonga and ovambo
Herero. They migrated due to the following reasons;
 The increased population in their homeland of central Africa contributed to the migration of Bantu into S.
Africa.
 High pressure on land that was partly caused by population increase forced the landless to go to S.Africa
searching for unoccupied land where they could settle.
 Constant attacks from strong neighbors such as the Luo, Sudanic among others partly contributed to the
migration of Bantu into S. Africa.
 Persistent occurrence of drought that disorganised their farming activities contributed to the migration of Bantu
from central to S. Africa.
 Outbreak of famine due to persistent drought in central Africa forced away thre Bantu to go to S. Africa
searching for food hence their migration.
 Outbreak of pests and diseases in their homeland that claimed for the lives of the people, their crops and the
animalsled to the migration of Bantu up to S. Africa.
 Need to get water and pasture for their animals since drought had made central African pasture and water bodies
to get dry partly led to the migration of Bantu.
 The need to discover new things such as Rivers, lakes, mountains among others also partly explains why the
Bantu left central for S. Africa.
 The Band wagon effect made the children and the women to migrate because their fathers and husbands were
migrating.
 Youths migrated because they wanted to be free from rigid cultures and customs of their elders.
 Iron working which made them to produce spears and other fighting weapons such as arrows, pangas, etc made
them to move without fear hence their migration.
 Need to spread their cultures such as languages, iron working and eating ettiquettes among others partly
contributed to the migration of Bantu into S. Africa.
 Internal conflicts among the Bantu emanating from power struggle, pressure over land among others also
contributed to the migration of Bantu into S. Africa.
 Outbreak of natural calamities such as floods, earthquakes, drought, bush fire, vulcanicity among others
contributed to their migration up to S. Africa.
 Hostile climate characterized by heavy rains and hotness partly forced Bantu to leave their homeland to S.
Africa.
 Influence of good leaders who led different groups from their craddle land contributed to their migration up to
South Africa.
 Exhaustion of their soils in their homeland contributed to their migration to search for fertile Soils to carry out
farming.
 Others moved due to the hunting effect that they were either chasing the animals or were looking for the new
hunting zones.
 In conclusion, the factors for the migration of Bantu were both external and internal.
 COURSE OF BANTU MIGRATION IN SOUTH AFRICA

 The migration and settlement of Bantu into S. Africa is still a subject of debate.
 They are expected to have come from the western Sudanic areas of West Africa.
 Bantu are said to have left west Afrrica 2000 years ago. They reached central Africa around 950 A.D.
 They moved in small groups such as families and clans. Their movement was slow and gradual.
 Bantu left central Africa about 1000 years ago and started to move south wards.
 There are four groups of Bantu which left east and central Africa for S. Africa.They include the Shona-Venda,
Sotho – Tswana, Nguni – Tsonga, and Ambo – Herero.
 Shona and Venda/ northern wave.
 Shona and Venda were the first group to move into S. Africa.
 By the 9th century, this group had reached modern day Zimbabwe.

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 They became the strongest group in Zimbabwe and formed the Kalanga kingdom which is the most powerful up
to date.
 However, by the 18th century, some shona groups like the Bemba and Venda had crossed R. Limpopo to escape
from the local wars. They permanently settled in Limpopo valley.
 Sotho- Tswana/ central wave.
 This was the second group of Bantu to enter S. Africa.
 Local myths believe that they were all descendants of of either Mangope or Marolong.
 This group include tribes such as Sotho, Tswana, Barolong, Ngwakwetse, Kwena, Pedi, Thlaping, among
others.
 From Congo, they moved southwards passing in the strip of land between L. Tanganyika and L. Malawi.
 By the 13th century, they had reached S. Africa following the central route.
 They entered S. Africa in three main groups which were the northern sotho, central sotho and southern sotho.
 By the 13th century, the above groups were already close to mordern day Botswana.
 By the beginning of the 17th century, the Batswana tribe were very close to modern day Botswana.
 The western Sotho also known as Kgaladi also went in Botswana following the Batswana.
 From 1815, most of the Sotho began entering and settling in modern day Lesotho.
 The Basotho later expanded into the the east and to the south as far as River Orange.
 The Basotho who went eastwards were stopped at the place where R. Vaal meets R. Orange.
 The northern Basotho went as far as the northern tip of River Vaal.
 Their westward expansion was checked by the Kalahari Desert.
 However, the Tawana sub group crossed the desert and went to live on the coast of L. Ngami.
 Drankensburg Mountain limited their eastward expansion.
 Some few northern Sotho that’s the Tswapong and Birwa settled in modern day Botswana.
 They were later joined by the Kalanga who are also called western Shona who settled in Botswana along the
border with Zimbabwe.
 The Pedi however settled in the mountains of present day Transvaal due to the influence of mfecane.
 Some few Sotho went to the Cape due to the drier conditions of Lesotho and Botswana.
 Nguni- Tsonga/ Eastern wave
 This was the third group of Bantu to enter S. Africa.
 They are thought to have come from the great lakes region of E. Africa
 They left the great lakes region thousands of years and headed to S. Africa.
 They mostly settled in the southern part of S. Africa between the interior plateau and the Indian Ocean.
 They followed the eastern wave and moved along the coastline untill they reached S. Africa.
 At first, they mainly poured into Zulu land and Natal to the border of the Eastern Cape Colony.
 Around 1300, the Xhosa reached R. Umzimivubu.
 From here, the Xhosa spread to R. Umtata and finally R. Fish.
 By the 18th century, the Nguni had formed different groups such as the Zulu, Ngwane, Xhosa, Swazi, Pondo,
Thembu and Mthethwa among others.
 Land pressure however forced the Swazi northwards into Swaziland in around 1815.
 The Drankensburg ranges limited their westward expansion although some Nguni crossed it and settled in the
Lesotho highlands.
 The Tsonga people remained north of Natal in the Limpopo valley around the town of Pietermaritzburg.
 Today, most of the Nguni people occupy parts of Transvaal, Natal, the Cape and Zulu land.
 The Ambo- Herero/ western Bantu/ Western wave.
 These are also called the western Bantu because they live in West Africa/ Namibia.
 They are said to have come from west of L. Tanganyika.
 They are thought to have reached modern Namibia around the 16th century.
 Most of the Ambo settled in Amboland.
 However, a few Ambo went in Angola which could favour agriculture of the Ambo people.
 The Herero moved west of Ambo land through Kaoveld and southwards into the dry grasslands of the Namibian
plateau.
 The Kalahari and Namibian deserts cutoff the Ambo and Herero from the other Bantu and also limited their
eastward expansion.
 In conclusion, the migration of Bantu was slow and gradual.

 THE SOCIAL, POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC ORGANISATION OF BANTU

 Bantu were politically, socially and economically organized as below;
 Politically,Bantu were a centralized group of people with a chief/ king at the top.In some societies however, the
tribe was the basic social unit.
 In any chiefdom, the chief came from the central family.The chief’s relatives held subordinate offices and at
times members of the council.

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 The chief’s ancestors were regarded as guardian spirits of the whole community.
 Bantu territories were sub divided into sub divisions, provinces and districts.All these power centres were under
recognized chiefs.
 Some of these power centers were hereditary but others were under the Chief’s appointment.
 The chief’s position was of the greatest importance in the society. He was the over all controller of all the
political, social and economic activities.
 Bantu had standing armies.The army was under the command of the chief who at times would appoint officials
(Induna) to command smaller units on his behalf.
 The chief was also the judicial, civil and religious leader.The chief’s court was the highest court of appeal and
his decision was final in all matters.
 The chief was the major celebrant in various rituals such as sacrifices, circumcision and initiation among others.
 The chiefs always ruled under the advice of the leading men who were in most cases clan heads.
 Council of meetings was always held to discuss important matters. However, they were open to all male adults
only.
 Whenever the chief poorly ruled his people or abused tribal laws, he would be overthrown and a better one
appointed.
 The office of the chief was hereditary to only one family which was the central family in the chiefdom/
kingdom.
 The army was divided into smaller fighting units called age regiments.Each regiment had its own location with
a different color of the shields.
 The chief was the economic controller and the advice of the elders was treated with reservation.
 There were strict laws of succession in t he society which preserved relative law and order.
 Socially, Bantu tribes were organized in families and the family was the smallest unit in the society.
 Each family was headed by a man and it was a purely an extended family.
 Among some groups e.g. the Nguni, circumcision was carried out to mark one’s entry into adult hood.
 They also believed in the existence of life after death and also engaged in ancestral worship.
 They offered sacrifices to small godsand spirits of the dead.
 Land among the Bantu was communally owned and was under the protection of the chief/ king.
 Marriage under normal circumstances was polygamous.
 Bantu had several clans and each clan had totems which were animals, birds and plants among others.
 They lived in somehow larger communities comprised of people of the same ancestral background.
 Magic was highly valued for the matter of healing although at times herbal medicine was also used.
 They believed in the existence of supreme beings.
 Some Bantu tribes especially those around the fish river had clicks in their sound which they had acquired from
the Khoisan.
 Initiation ceremonies were organized to mark one’s entry into adulthood. After initiation, boys initiated together
formed their own regiment.
 Regiments got their name from the prince who was initiated with other boys at the same time.
 Bantu wore animal hides as clothes.
 Members of the same family lived near to one another and they obtained fire through friction.
 Economically, Bantu engaged in cattle keeping.
 They also had the skill of black smithing.
 Some tribes such as Sotho and Nguni carried out farming growing crops such as beans, Potatoes, Bananas,
Yams among others.
 Trade was carried out among themselves and later with the whites such as the Boers, British among others.
 Bantu also carried out food gathering from forests an activity done by women especially during evening hours.
 Fishing was carried out from rivers such as Kei, Vaal and Limpopo among other rivers along the eastern
frontier of S. Africa.
 Cattle raids especially on the Khoi khoi were carried out to increase on cattle and wealth in the community.
 Hunting was carried out for both game and as leisure.
 Pottery was carried out by the skilled people in the society.
 In conclusion, Bantu had a more advanced way of life than the Khoisan.

 EFFECTS OF BANTU MIGRATION IN SOUTH AFRICA.

 The migration of bantu had both positive and negative effects in South Africa which can be seen as below;
 There was population increase in South Africa since Bantu had come in large numbers such as the Nguni,
Venda, Mthentwa, Shona etc.
 Many Khoi sans were displaced from their settlements to pave way for the settlement of the Bantu.
 Many kingdoms were set up by Bantu in South Africa e.g. the Zulu kingdom, Ndebele kingdom, Mthenthwa
among others.
 Many people were killed during wars of settlement caused by Bantu on the Khoisan.

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 Increased wars between Bantu and Khoisan fighting for land, food, and other resources which were limited.
 Khoisan lost independence to the Bantu because they were annexed.
 There was intermarriage between the Khoisan and Bantu in future.
 Alot of properties were destroyed during the settlement of Bantu. These included crops, huts among others.
 Khoisan adopted Bantu cultures such as language, eating etiquettes, clothes and names among others.
 Bantu spread the art of iron smelting in South Africa which increased the manufacturing of iron implements.
 Boosted trade in South Africa due to exchange of Bantu food with Khoisan cattle products.
 Many Bushmen were absorbed and detribalized by the Bantu.
 There was the enslavement of the Khoisan by the Bantu in order to increase their output.
 New crops such as yams were introduced in South Africa by the Bantu migrants.
 Pushed the Khoisan into the drier areas of Kalahari Desert where the living conditions were very poor.
 New fighting weapons such as spears, arrows among others were introduced by Bantu in S. Africa.
 Introduced new languages such as Nguni in South Africa.
 Spread their fighting tactics such as cow-horn formation, earth scorched policy among others in S. Africa.
 Increased famine due to their wars of settlement and expansion in South Africa.
 In conclusion, Bantu migration had both positive and negative impacts.

 THE SOTHO – TSWANA

 The Sotho Tswana were the second group of Bantu to settle in South Africa. They came under the central wave.
 Sotho- Tswana mostly settled in the central parts of South Africa around rivers such as Limpopo, motopo and
Hart Rivers.
 Like the Nguni, Sotho Tswana were hunters who used both poinous arrows and dug pits to trap both small and
big animals respectively.
 Sotho-Tswana also involved in agriculture growing mostly yams, beans, maize among others.
 Some Sotho-Tswana also engaged in cattle rearing keeping mostly small horned cattle.
 They were skilled iron smelters producing high- quality hoes, axes, pangas, among other iron implements.
 They also engaged in internal trade exchanging farm products and animals’ products among themselves.
 Sotho – Tswana had larger settlement than those of the Nguni Tsonga comprised of people between 500-3000.
 Many settlements among them were set up on hilltops for defence purposes.
 Land was communally owned and the chief was the major land controller.
 Their best political unit wasa chiefdom.
 Chiefdom included major settlements, cattle grazing areas and hunting grounds.
 The office of the chief was hereditary and the chief came from the most important family (central family).
 They also had age groups which were set up basing on circumcision.Circumcision was always carried out
between 5 – 7 years.
 Circumcision coincided with the son of a chief reaching puberty.
 All boys who entered a particular group at the same time with the son of the chief were bound to him.
 A group was given the name of a son’s chief who was initiated at the same time with a group of other boys.
 Sotho-Tswana also carried out ancestral worship.
 They also believed in unending life.
 They had polygamous marriages with extended families in which the man was the head of the family.
 They used traditional herbs to heal themselves. However, they at times used magic in complicated diseases.
 In conclusion, Sotho- Tswana had a well organized way of life.

 THE NGUNI-TSONGA.
 Nguni was the third group of Bantu to enter South Africa.They were the largest group of Bantu to enter South
Africa.
 They were also the strongest group of Bantu in South Africa.By the 16 thcentury, the Nguni were living along
Natal coastal plain.
 They were originally living in eastern coastal areas from Zulu land to the boarders of cape colony.
 They occupied the area which enjoys the highest rain fall in South Africa.
 At present, they mainly occupy Transvaal, Natal, Zulu land and Cape Provinces of South Africa.
 Nguni tribes speak similar language.
 Nguni tribes in South Africa included the Zulu, Pondo, Ndebele, Thembu, Xhosa and Tlokwaamong others.
 Nguni-Tsongawere occupationally farmers growing crops such as pumpkins, Yams among others.
 Some Nguni also involved in pastoralism
 Some tribes such as the Zulu involved in iron smelting.
 They also carried out trade among themselves. However, from 1795 after the coming of the British, the Nguni
began engaging in external trade.
 The family was the smallest social unit. It was purely extended with the father as the head of the family.

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 Most tribes among the Nguni e.g. the Zulu had standing armies which were divided into smaller fighting units
based on age regiments.
 Leadership was hereditary to the eldest son of the chief.
 Nguni-Tsonga also celebrated important ceremonies such as marriage.
 A number of closely related homesteads formed a local group.
 They believed in magic for matters of healing. However, traditional herbs were also used but to a lesser extent.
 They believed in unending life.
 Nguni-Tsonga also believed in the existence of a supreme being.
 Their chiefdoms were divided into smaller administrative units.
 Elders’ advice among them was highly recognized.
 Indunas (army commanders) assisted the King in military matters.
 The Chief among the Nguni had several social and religious functions.
 In conclusion, Nguni- Tsonga was the most organized group of Bantu.

o THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE KHOISAN AND BANTU.

 The relationship between the Bantu and Khoisan was a double fold.It was both friendly (positive) and
antagonistic (negative)
 The Khoisan and Bantu traded together.
 There was intermarriage between the two groups.
 Khoisan copied the cultures of Bantu e.g. Bantu names.
 Khoisan copied the idea of iron smelting from the Bantu.
 Bantu adopted the clicks of Khoisan in their sound.
 There was unity among them especially during attacks from the whites.
 The intermarriage between the two groups led to the emergence new tribes born out of the intermarriage.
 Khoisan lost independence to the Bantu.
 Khoisan was displaced by the Bantu.
 Khoisan was absorbed by the Bantu
 Khoisan adopted the knowledge of agriculture from Bantu.
 During Bantu wars of expansion, many Khoisan were killed.
 Khoisan were conquered by the Bantu.
 Khoisan lost their grazing land to the Bantu.
 Khoisan lost their hunting grounds to Bantu.
 They both raided themselves.
 Khoisan were driven to dry areas of Kalahari by the Bantu.
 Khoisan lost their identity to Bantu.
 Bantu increased pressure on Khoisan land.
 Population increased in the area.
 In conclusion, the relationship between Bantu and Khoisan was attimes peaceful and attimes violent.
 N.B.the above points can be used to explain how the settlement of Bantu affected the Khoisan, consult the
teacher for help.
 REASONS WHY THE KHOISAN WERE EASILY DEFEATED AND DISPLACED BY THE BANTU
 After the settlement of Bantu in SouthAfrica. the Khoisan were easily defeated and others absorbed, this was
due to the following reasons;
 Bantu had a numerical advantage over the Khoisan e.g Bantu went in thousands and fought Khoisan who were
in hundreds.
 Khoisan had a weaker economy comprised of hunting and food gathering compared to that of Bantu that
comprised of farming and trade.
 Bantu were possessing stronger iron weapons such as spears unlike the Khoisan who only had sticks and stones.
 Bantu had standing armies unlike the Khoisan who just mobilized themselves to defend their territories.
 Bantu were united under one king/ chief unlike the Khoisan who were living in scattered settlements.
 Bantu had strong commanders (Indunas) who commanded them e.g. ShakaMzilikazi, among others unlike the
Khoisan who had weak leaders.
 Bantu were experienced in warfare since they had fought many wars of expansion and settlement than the
Khoisan.
 Tactically, Bantu were far with cow-horn formation, earth scorched policy, better than those of the Khoisan.
 Bantu were a centralized people which made them stronger than the Khoisan who were decentralized.
 Since Khoisanwere nomads, they could not withstand a settled society of the Bantu.
 Bantu had absorbed many Khoisan which made them manyand stronger than the Khoisan.
 Bantu were prominent traders which made them capable of supporting their wars financially than the
Khoisan.
 Bantu were physically well built with enough physique and strength than the Khoisan who were weakly built.

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 Bantu had a stable supply of food since they were farmers than the Khoisan.
 Bantu were a warrior society for example the Zulu, the Ndebele among others unlike the Khoisan.
 Khoisan were living in smaller scattered societies which were so vulnerable to be crushed by theBantu
 Peaceful Khoisan always preferred to move away leaving land to the stronger Bantu leading to their
displacement.
 In conclusion, Khoisan were defeated because of their loose way of life.