The Sotho (), also known as the Basotho (), are a Sotho-Tswana ethnic group indigenous to

Southern Africa Southern Africa is the southernmost region of Africa. No definition is agreed upon, but some groupings include the United Nations geoscheme for Africa, United Nations geoscheme, the intergovernmental Southern African Development Community, and ...

. They primarily inhabit the regions of

Lesotho Lesotho, formally the Kingdom of Lesotho and formerly known as Basutoland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Entirely surrounded by South Africa, it is the largest of only three sovereign enclave and exclave, enclaves in the world, t ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

Botswana Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory part of the Kalahari Desert. It is bordered by South Africa to the sou ...

and

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

. The ancestors of the Sotho people are believed to have originated from Northeast Africa, and migrated south in the fifth century AD. The Sotho people have split into different clans over time as a result of the

Mfecane The Mfecane, also known by the Sesotho names Difaqane or Lifaqane (all meaning "crushing," "scattering," "forced dispersal," or "forced migration"), was a historical period of heightened military conflict and migration associated with state fo ...

(a series of wars and migrations that took place in the 19th century) and

colonialism Colonialism is the control of another territory, natural resources and people by a foreign group. Colonizers control the political and tribal power of the colonised territory. While frequently an Imperialism, imperialist project, colonialism c ...

. There are 3 types of Basotho,

Northern Sotho Sepedi, also known as Northern Sotho, is one of South Africa’s twelve official languages and belongs to the Bantu language family, specifically the Sotho-Tswana group. The language is spoken mainly in Limpopo Province, and to a lesser exten ...

Southern Sotho Sotho (), also known as ''Sesotho'' (), Southern Sotho, or ''Sesotho sa Borwa'' is a Southern Bantu language spoken in Lesotho as its national language and South Africa where it is an official language. Like all Bantu languages, Sesotho is ...

Tswana people The Batswana (, singular ''Motswana'') are a Bantu peoples, Bantu Ethnic groups in South Africa, ethnic group native to Southern Africa that are descendants of King Looe (Lowe) who established the Hurutshi tribe in Southern Africa (linguistic ...

. The

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

and the

Boers Boers ( ; ; ) are the descendants of the proto Afrikaans-speaking Free Burghers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. From 1652 to 1795, the Dutch East India Company controlled the Dutch ...

( Dutch descendants) divided Sotho land amongst themselves in the late 19th century. Lesotho was created by the settlers in the 1869 Convention of Aliwal North following the conflict over land with

Moshoeshoe I Moshoeshoe I () ( – 11 March 1870) was the first king of Lesotho. He was the first son of Mokhachane, a minor Tribal chief, chief of the Bamokoteli lineage, a branch of the Koena tribe, Koena (crocodile) clan. In his youth, he helped his fat ...

, the king of the Southern Sothos. The Southern Sotho of Lesotho's identity emerged from the creation of Lesotho by the British after the Boers defeated Moshoeshoe I in the Third Basotho War in 1868 and he asked the British for protection. Some of the Southern Sotho speakers who were not part of Moshoeshoe's kingdom when he united some of their tribesmen are living in

Gauteng Gauteng ( , ; Sotho-Tswana languages, Sotho-Tswana for 'place of gold'; or ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. Situated on the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province by land area in South Africa. Although Gauteng accounts f ...

, while some are found in the west of

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN) is a Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the government merged the Zulu people, Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu language, Zulu) and ...

, the north of the

Eastern Cape The Eastern Cape ( ; ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, and its largest city is Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth). Due to its climate and nineteenth-century towns, it is a common location for tourists. It is also kno ...

and most of the Free State province. In modern times, the Sotho continue to make significant contributions to South African and Lesotho societies.

History

Early history

The Basotho nation is a mixture of

Bantu-speaking The Bantu languages (English: , Proto-Bantu: *bantʊ̀), or Ntu languages are a language family of about 600 languages of Central, Southern, Eastern and Southeast Africa. They form the largest branch of the Southern Bantoid languages. The t ...

clans that mixed with

San people The San peoples (also Saan), or Bushmen, are the members of any of the indigenous hunter-gatherer cultures of southern Africa, and the oldest surviving cultures of the region. They are thought to have diverged from other humans 100,000 to 200 ...

who already lived in Southern Africa when they arrived there.

Bantu Bantu may refer to: *Bantu languages, constitute the largest sub-branch of the Niger–Congo languages *Bantu peoples, over 400 peoples of Africa speaking a Bantu language * Bantu knots, a type of African hairstyle *Black Association for National ...

-speaking people had settled in what is now South Africa by about

1500 CE Year 1500 ( MD) was a leap year starting on Wednesday in the Julian calendar. The year 1500 was not a leap year in the proleptic Gregorian calendar. The year 1500 was the last year of the 15th century and the first year of the 16th century. ...

. Separation from the Batswana is assumed to have taken place by the 14th century. Some Basotho people split from the

Nguni Nguni may refer to: *Nguni languages *Nguni cattle *Nguni people *Nguni sheep, which divide into the Tsonga sheep, Tsonga, Ngoni (sheep), Ngoni, and Swazi sheep, Swazi types *Nguni stick-fighting * Nguni shield * Nguni homestead *Nguni (surname: Hl ...

while others got assimilated into building the Nguni nation. By the 16th century, Iron-working was well established in Basotho communities alongside their

neighbours. Basotho were mostly independent and relatively isolated up until this point in which they occasionally traded with the regions north of their homeland with external links that are described as "Sporadic and Marginal". By at least the 17th century a series of Basotho kingdoms covered the southern portion of the African plateau (nowadays

Free State Province The Free State ( ; ; ; ; ), formerly known as the Orange Free State, is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bloemfontein, which is also South Africa's judicial capital. Its historical origins lie in the Boer republic called the Orang ...

and parts of

), and North West. Basotho society was highly decentralized, and organized on the basis of

kraal Kraal (also spelled ''craal'' or ''kraul'') is an Afrikaans and Dutch language, Dutch word, also used in South African English, for an pen (enclosure), enclosure for cattle or other livestock, located within a Southern African Human settlement ...

s, or extended clans, each of which was ruled by its own chief. Chiefdoms were united into loose

confederation A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

19th century

In the 1820s, refugees from the Zulu expansion under

Shaka Shaka kaSenzangakhona (–24 September 1828), also known as Shaka (the) Zulu () and Sigidi kaSenzangakhona, was the king of the Zulu Kingdom from 1816 to 1828. One of the most influential monarchs of the Zulu, he ordered wide-reaching reform ...

came into contact with the Basotho people residing on the

highveld The Highveld (Afrikaans: ''Hoëveld,'' , ) is the portion of the South African inland plateau which has an altitude above roughly , but below , thus excluding the Lesotho mountain regions to the south-east of the Highveld. It is home to some of t ...

. In 1823, pressure caused one group of Basotho, the

Kololo Kololo is a hill in Kampala, the largest city and capital of Uganda. The name also applies to the upscale residential and commercial neighbourhood that sits on that hill. Location Kololo is close to the centre of Kampala, bordered by Naguru t ...

, to migrate north. They moved past the

Okavango Swamp The Okavango Delta or Okavango Grassland is a vast inland delta in Botswana formed where the Okavango River reaches a tectonic trough at an elevation of in the central part of the endorheic basin of the Kalahari Desert. It is a UNESCO Wor ...

and across the

Zambezi The Zambezi (also spelled Zambeze and Zambesi) is the fourth-longest river in Africa, the longest east-flowing river in Africa and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa. Its drainage basin covers , slightly less than half of t ...

into

Barotseland Barotseland (Lozi language, Lozi: ''Mubuso Bulozi'') is a region between Namibia, Angola, Botswana, Zimbabwe including half of north-western province, southern province, and parts of Lusaka Province, Lusaka, Central Province, Zambia, Central, ...

, (which is now part of

Zambia Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...

Angola Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

, and

). In 1845, the Kololo conquered Barotseland. At about the same time, the

began to encroach upon Basotho territory. After the

Cape Colony The Cape Colony (), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British Empire, British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope. It existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when it united with three ...

was ceded to Britain at the conclusion of the

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

, many farmers opted to leave the former Dutch colony in the

Great Trek The Great Trek (, ) was a northward migration of Dutch-speaking settlers who travelled by wagon trains from the Cape Colony into the interior of modern South Africa from 1836 onwards, seeking to live beyond the Cape's British colonial adminis ...

. They moved inland, where they eventually established independent polities. At the time of these developments,

skillfully and systematically unified a loose confederacy of Basotho clans and Nguni tribes that had settled there into what would become a modern state of Lesotho in the southern highveld. Universally praised as a skilled diplomat and strategist, he molded the disparate refugee groups escaping the

Difaqane The Mfecane, also known by the Sesotho names Difaqane or Lifaqane (all meaning "crushing," "scattering," "forced dispersal," or "forced migration"), was a historical period of heightened military conflict and migration associated with state fo ...

into a cohesive nation. His leadership allowed smaller Basotho clans who neighboured him to seek his protection allowing the small nation to survive the obstacles that destroyed other indigenous South African kingdoms during the 19th century, such as the Zulu ''

'', the inward expansion of the and the plans of the

Colonial Office The Colonial Office was a government department of the Kingdom of Great Britain and later of the United Kingdom, first created in 1768 from the Southern Department to deal with colonial affairs in North America (particularly the Thirteen Colo ...

. In 1822, Moshoeshoe established the capital at

Butha-Buthe Butha-Buthe is the capital or camptown of the Butha-Buthe District in Lesotho. It had a population of 35,108 (2016 census). It is named for Butha-Buthe Mountain to the north of the town. Its name means "place of lying down." Butha-Buthe was f ...

, an easily defensible mountain in the northern Drakensberg mountain range, thus laying the foundations of the eventual Kingdom of Lesotho. His capital was later moved to

Thaba Bosiu Thaba Bosiu is a Constituencies of Lesotho, constituency and sandstone plateau with an area of approximately and a height of 1,804 meters above sea level. It is located between the Orange River, Orange and Caledon Rivers in the Maseru District of ...

. To deal with the encroaching groups, Moshoeshoe encouraged French missionary activity in his kingdom.

Missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Miss ...

sent by the

Paris Evangelical Missionary Society The Paris Evangelical Missionary Society (in French, ''Société des missions évangéliques de Paris''), also known as the ''SMEP'' or ''Mission de Paris'', was a Protestant missionary association created in 1822. As with other Christian societie ...

provided the King with foreign affairs counsel and helped to facilitate the purchase of modern weapons. Aside from acting as state ministers, missionaries (primarily Casalis and Arbousset) played a vital role in delineating Sesotho

orthography An orthography is a set of convention (norm), conventions for writing a language, including norms of spelling, punctuation, Word#Word boundaries, word boundaries, capitalization, hyphenation, and Emphasis (typography), emphasis. Most national ...

and printing Sesotho language materials between 1837 and 1855. The first Sesotho translation of the Bible appeared in 1878. In 1868, after losing the western lowlands to the Boers during the

Free State–Basotho Wars The Free State–Basotho Wars refers to a series of wars fought between King Moshoeshoe I, the ruler of the Basotho Kingdom, and white settlers, in what is now known as the Free State. These can be divided into the Senekal's War of 1858, the S ...

, Moshoeshoe successfully appealed to

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

to proclaim

Basutoland Basutoland was a British Crown colony that existed from 1884 to 1966 in present-day Lesotho, bordered with the Cape Colony, Natal Colony and Orange River Colony until 1910 and completely surrounded by South Africa from 1910. Though the Basot ...

(modern

) a

protectorate A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a State (polity), state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over ...

of Britain. Accordingly, the British administration was established in

Maseru Maseru is the capital and largest city of Lesotho. It is also the capital of the Maseru District. Located on the Caledon River, Maseru lies directly on the Lesotho–South Africa border. Maseru had a population of 330,760 in the 2016 census. T ...

, the site of Lesotho's current capital. Local chieftains retained power over internal affairs, while Britain was responsible for foreign affairs and the defense of the protectorate. In 1869, the British sponsored a process to demarcate the borders of Basutoland. While many clans had territory within Basutoland, large numbers of Sesotho speakers resided in areas allocated to the

Orange Free State The Orange Free State ( ; ) was an independent Boer-ruled sovereign republic under British suzerainty in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, which ceased to exist after it was defeated and surrendered to the British Em ...

, the sovereign republic that bordered the Basotho kingdom. King Moshoeshoe died two years later in 1870, after the end of war, and was buried at the summit of Thaba Bosiu.

20th century

Britain's protection ensured that repeated attempts by the

, and later the

Republic of South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

, to absorb part or all of Basutoland were unsuccessful. In 1966, Basutoland gained its independence from Britain, becoming the

Kingdom of Lesotho Lesotho, formally the Kingdom of Lesotho and formerly known as Basutoland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Entirely surrounded by South Africa, it is the largest of only three sovereign enclave and exclave, enclaves in the world, t ...

. Sesotho is widely spoken throughout the subcontinent due to

internal migration Internal migration or domestic migration is human migration within a country. Internal migration tends to be travel for education and for economic improvement or because of a natural disaster or civil disturbance, though a study based on the full ...

. To enter the cash economy, Lesotho men often migrated to large cities in South Africa to find employment in the

mining industry Mining is the extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agricultural processes, or feasibly created artificially in a la ...

. Migrant workers from the Free State and Lesotho thus helped spread Sesotho to the urban areas of South Africa. It is generally agreed that migrant work harmed the family life of most Sesotho speakers because adults (primarily men) were required to leave their families behind in impoverished communities while they were employed in distant cities. Attempts by the

apartheid Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...

government to force Sesotho speakers to relocate to designated homelands had little effect on their settlement patterns. Large numbers of workers continued to leave the traditional areas of Black settlement. Women gravitated towards employment as agricultural or domestic workers while men typically found employment in the mining sector. In terms of religion, the central role that Christian missionaries played in helping Moshoeshoe I secure his kingdom helped to ensure widespread Basotho conversion to Christianity. Today, the bulk of Sesotho speakers practice a form of Christianity that blends elements of traditional Christian dogma with local, pre-Western beliefs.

Modimo Modimo (also spelt as Molimo in Lesotho Sesotho, and known as Mudzimu or Raluvhimba in Tshivenda and uMlimo or Zimu in Southern and Northern Ndebele) is a creator god, supreme deity and sky deity in the traditional religion of the Sotho-Tsw ...

("God") is viewed as a supreme being who cannot be approached by mortals. Ancestors are seen as intercessors between Modimo and the living, and their favor must be cultivated through worship and reverence. Officially, the majority of Lesotho's population is Catholic. The Southern Basotho's heartland is the Free State province in South Africa and neighboring Lesotho. Both of these largely rural areas have widespread poverty and underdevelopment. Many Sesotho speakers live in conditions of economic hardship, but people with access to land and steady employment may enjoy a higher standard of living. Landowners often participate in subsistence or small-scale commercial farming ventures. However,

overgrazing Overgrazing occurs when plants are exposed to intensive grazing for extended periods of time, or without sufficient recovery periods. It can be caused by either livestock in poorly managed agricultural applications, game reserves, or nature ...

and land mismanagement are growing problems.

Demographics

The allure of urban areas has not diminished, and internal migration continues today for many

black people Black is a racial classification of people, usually a political and skin color-based category for specific populations with a mid- to dark brown complexion. Not all people considered "black" have dark skin and often additional phenotypical ...

born in Lesotho and other Basotho heartlands. Generally, employment patterns among the Basotho follow the same patterns as broader South African society. Historical factors cause unemployment among the Basotho and other

Black South Africans Bantu speaking people are the majority ethno-racial group in South Africa. They are descendants of Southern Bantu-speaking peoples who settled in South Africa during the Bantu expansion. They are referred to in various census as ''blacks'', or ...

to remain high. Basotho on Horses

Percent of Sesotho speakers across South Africa: *

Province: 13.1% *

Atteridgeville Atteridgeville also recently known as “Pheli” is a township located to the west of Pretoria, South Africa. It is located to the east of Saulsville, to the west of West Park; to the north of Laudium and to the south of Lotus Gardens. The ...

: 12.3% *

City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality The City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality () is a metropolitan municipality that manages the local governance of Johannesburg, the largest city in South Africa. It is divided into several branches and departments in order to expedite se ...

: 9.6% *

Soweto Soweto () is a Township (South Africa), township of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng, South Africa, bordering the city's mining belt in the south. Its name is an English syllabic abbreviation for ''South Western T ...

: 15.5% *

Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality The City of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (; ; ; ) is a metropolitan municipality that forms the local government of the East Rand region of Gauteng, a large suburban region east of Johannesburg. ''Ekurhuleni'' means "place of peace" in ...

: 10.0% *

Katlehong Katlehong is a large township in the Gauteng Province of South Africa. It is 28 km south-east of Johannesburg and south of Germiston between two other townships of Thokoza and Vosloorus next to the N3 highway. It forms part of the City of E ...

: 22.4% *

Sedibeng District Municipality The Sedibeng District Municipality (; ; ) is one of the districts of the Gauteng province of South Africa. The administrative seat of the district is Vereeniging. As of 2011, the most widely spoken language among its 794,605 inhabitants was Sesoth ...

: 46.7% *

West Rand District Municipality The West Rand District Municipality (; ; ; ) is one of the districts of the Gauteng province of South Africa, that covers the West Rand area, with the exception of Roodepoort. The seat of the district municipality is Randfontein. As of 2011, the ...

: 10.8% *

Midvaal Local Municipality Midvaal Municipality (; ; ) is a local municipality within the Sedibeng District Municipality, in the Gauteng province of South Africa. The municipality's name references its geographical location in-between the Johannesburg and East Rand areas a ...

: 27.9% *

: 64.2% *

Bloemfontein Bloemfontein ( ; ), also known as Bloem, is the capital and the largest city of the Free State (province), Free State province in South Africa. It is often, and has been traditionally, referred to as the country's "judicial capital", alongsi ...

: 33.4%

Language

The language of the Basotho is referred to as ''Sesotho,''Constitution of South Africa (1996) less commonly known as ''Sesotho sa borwa''. Some texts may refer to Sesotho as "Southern Sotho" to differentiate it from

, also called Sepedi. Sesotho is the first language of 1.5 million people in

, or 85% of the population. It is one of the two official languages in Lesotho, the other being English. Lesotho enjoys one of Africa's highest literacy rates, with 59% of the adult population being literate, chiefly in Sesotho.United Nations Scientific and Educational Council (UNESCO) (2000) World Languages Survey. Paris: UNESCO. Sesotho is one of the eleven official languages of South Africa. According to the 2011

South African National Census of 2011 The South African National Census of 2011 is the 3rd comprehensive census performed by Statistics South Africa. The 2011 census was the first census to include geo-referencing for every individual dwelling in South Africa. How the count w ...

, almost 4 million people speak Sesotho as their

first language A first language (L1), native language, native tongue, or mother tongue is the first language a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period hypothesis, critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' ...

, including 62% of Free State inhabitants.Statistics SA (2001) Census 2001. Pretoria: Statistics South Africa. Approximately 13.1% of the residents of

speak Sesotho as their first language.

In the

North West Province North West ( ; ) is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Mahikeng. The province is located to the west of the major population centre and province of Gauteng and south of Botswana. History North West was incorporated after the end of ...

, 5% of the population speaks Sesotho as a first language, with a concentration of speakers in the Maboloka region. Three percent of

Mpumalanga Mpumalanga () is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. The name means "East", or literally "The Place Where the Sun Rises" in the Nguni languages. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, bordering Eswatini and Mozambique. It shares bor ...

's people speak Sesotho as their first language, with many speakers living in the Standerton area. Two percent of the residents of the

speak Sesotho as a first language, though they are located mostly in the northern part of the province. Aside from Lesotho and South Africa, 60,000 people speak

Silozi Lozi, also known as Silozi and Rozi, is a Bantu language of the Niger–Congo language family within the Sotho–Tswana branch of Zone S (S.30), that is spoken by the Lozi people, primarily in southwestern Zambia and in Namibia. The lan ...

(a close relative of Sesotho) in

.Lewis, P. (2009) ''Ethnologue: Languages of the World''. Dallas: SIL International. Additionally, a few Sesotho speakers reside in

Eswatini Eswatini, formally the Kingdom of Eswatini, also known by its former official names Swaziland and the Kingdom of Swaziland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by South Africa on all sides except the northeast, where i ...

and the

Caprivi Strip The Caprivi Strip, also known simply as Caprivi, is a geographic salient protruding from the northeastern corner of Namibia. It is bordered by Botswana to the south and Angola and Zambia to the north. Namibia, Botswana and Zambia meet at a sing ...

. No official statistics on

second language A second language (L2) is a language spoken in addition to one's first language (L1). A second language may be a neighbouring language, another language of the speaker's home country, or a foreign language. A speaker's dominant language, which ...

usage are available, but one conservative estimate of the number of people who speak Sesotho as a second (or later) language is 5 million. Sesotho is used in a range of educational settings, both as a subject of study and as a medium of instruction. It is used in its spoken and written forms in all spheres of education, from

preschool A preschool (sometimes spelled as pre school or pre-school), also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, play school, is an school, educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they ...

to doctoral studies. However, the number of technical materials (e.g., in the fields of commerce, information technology, law, science, and math) in the language is still relatively small. Sesotho has developed a sizable media presence since the end of

Lesedi FM Lesedi FM is a South African PBS radio network owned the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC). Coverage areas and frequencies The station was launched in 1960 and is currently available in seven provinces with a spill-over to the o ...

is a 24-hour Sesotho radio station run by the

South African Broadcasting Corporation The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is the public broadcaster in South Africa, and provides 19 radio stations (Amplitude modulation, AM/Frequency modulation, FM) as well as 6 television broadcasts and 3 OTT Services to the general ...

(SABC), broadcasting solely in Sesotho. There are other regional radio stations throughout Lesotho and the Free State. Half-hour Sesotho news bulletins are broadcast daily on the SABC free-to-air channel

SABC 2 SABC 2 is a South African free-to-air television channel owned by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC). The channel was createdin its current form on 4 February 1996, due to the restructuring of the three national SABC networks. As ...

. Independent TV broadcaster

eTV ETV may stand for: Television * Educational television, the use of television in education * Enhanced TV, an interactive television application specification Africa * e.tv, South Africa * ETV (Ethiopia), Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation * ETV G ...

also features a daily half-hour Sesotho bulletin. Both SABC and the eTV group produce a range of programs that feature some Sesotho dialogue. In Lesotho, the Lesotho National Broadcasting Service broadcasts to South Africa via satellite pay-TV provider, DStv. Most newspapers in

are written in

Sesotho Sotho (), also known as ''Sesotho'' (), Southern Sotho, or ''Sesotho sa Borwa'' is a Southern Bantu languages, Southern Bantu language spoken in Lesotho as its national language and South Africa where it is an official language. Like all Ba ...

or both Sesotho and English. There are no fully fledged South African newspapers in Sesotho except for regional newsletters in

QwaQwa QwaQwa was a Bantustan ("homeland") in the central eastern part of South Africa. It encompassed a very small region of in the east of the former South African province of Orange Free State, bordering Lesotho. Its capital was Witsieshoek. It was ...

Fouriesburg Fouriesburg is a small town situated at the junction of the R711 and R26 routes in the eastern Free State, South Africa. It is near the Maluti Mountains and only 10 km from Caledon's Poort border post, which gives access to Lesotho. His ...

Ficksburg Ficksburg is a town situated at the foot of the 1,750 meter high Imperani Mountain in Free State province, South Africa. The town was founded by General Johan Fick in 1867 who won the territory in the Basotho Wars. He laid out many erven and ...

, and possibly other Free State towns. Currently, the mainstream South African magazine ''Bona'' includes Sesotho content. Since the codification of Sesotho orthography, literary works have been produced in Sesotho. Notable Sesotho-language literature includes

Thomas Mofolo Thomas Mokopu Mofolo (22 December 1876 – 8 September 1948) is often regarded as the first African novelist. His body of work, which consists of three books composed between 1905 and 1910, were first written in Sesotho, and then widely translate ...

's epic ''Chaka'', which has been translated into several languages, including English and German.

Clothing

The Basotho have a unique traditional attire. This includes the

mokorotlo A mokorotlo is a type of straw hat widely used for traditional Sotho clothing, and is the national symbol of Lesotho and the national symbol of the Basotho and Lesotho peoples. An image of the Mokorotlo appears on the Lesotho flag, and on Les ...

, a conical hat with a decorated knob at the top that is worn differently for men and women. The

Basotho blanket The Basotho blanket is a distinctive form of woollen blanket commonly worn by Sotho people in Lesotho and South Africa. History Originally gifted to the then ruler King Moshoeshoe I by a British man known only as "Mr Howell" in the late 19t ...

is often worn over the shoulders or waist and protects the wearer against the cold. Although many Sotho people wear westernized clothing, often traditional garments are worn over them.

Basotho herders

Many Basotho who live in rural areas wear clothing that suits their lifestyles. For instance, boys who herd cattle in the rural Free State and Lesotho wear the Basotho blanket and large rain boots (

gumboots A Wellington boot, often shortened to welly, and also known as a gumboot, rubber boot, or rain boot, is a type of waterproof boot made of rubber. Originally a type of leather riding boot adapted from Hessian boots, a style of military foot we ...

) as protection from the wet mountain terrain. Herd boys also often wear woolen balaclavas or caps year-round to protect their faces from cold temperatures and dusty winds.

Basotho women

Basotho women usually wear skirts and long dresses in bright colors and patterns, as well as the traditional blankets around the waist. On special occasions like wedding celebrations, they wear the seshweshwe, a traditional Basotho dress. The local traditional dresses are made using colored cloth and ribbon accents bordering each layer. Sotho women often purchase this material and have it designed in a style similar to West and East African dresses. Women often wrap a long print cloth or a small blanket around their waist, either as a skirt or as a second garment over it. This is commonly known as a ''wrap'', and it can be used to carry infants on their backs.

Special clothing items

Special clothing is worn for special events like initiation rites and traditional healing ceremonies. For a Lebollo la basadi, or girl's initiation ceremony, girls wear a beaded waist wrap called a ''thethana'' that covers the waist, particularly the crotch area and part of the buttocks. They also wear gray blankets and goatskin skirts. These garments are worn by young girls and women, particularly virgins. For a

Lebollo la banna is a Sesotho term for male initiation. ''Lebollo'' is a cultural and traditional practice that transitions boys in the Basotho society to manhood. It is a rite of passage where ''bashanyana or bashemane'' () pass puberty and enter adulthood to ...

, or a boy's initiation ceremony, boys wear a loincloth called a ''tshea'' as well as colorful blankets. These traditional outfits are often combined with more modern items, like sunglasses. Traditional Sotho healers wear the bandolier, which consists of strips and strings made of leather, sinew, or beads that form a cross on the chest. The bandolier often has pouches of potions attached to it for specific rituals or physical/spiritual protection. It is believed that the

adopted this bandolier attire for healers during times when the Basotho and the San traded and developed ties through trade, marriage, and friendship. The San people's use of the bandolier can be seen in their rock paintings that date to the 1700s. File:Parade of Basotho women.jpg, '' Seana Marena'' woollen tribal blanket traditionally File:Singing-for-Mokhibo-Lesotho.jpg, alt=Picture of Basotho Women, Basotho women during Mokhibo

Notable Sotho people

Politics and Royalty

, founder of the Basotho nation *

Moshoeshoe II Moshoeshoe II (2 May 1938 – 15 January 1996), previously known as Constantine Bereng Seeiso, was the Paramount Chief of Basutoland, succeeding paramount chief Seeiso from 1960 until the country gained full independence from Britain in 1966. ...

, Paramount Chief of Lesotho *

Letsie III Letsie III (born Mohato Bereng Seeiso; 17 July 1963) is King of Lesotho. He succeeded his father, Bereng Seeiso Moshoeshoe II, who was forced into exile in 1990. His father was briefly restored in 1995 but died in a car crash in early 1996, so L ...

, King of Lesotho *

Queen 'Masenate Mohato Seeiso Masenate Mohato Seeiso (born Anna Karabo Motšoeneng, June 2, 1976) is the Queen of Lesotho as the wife of King Letsie III of Lesotho. She was the first commoner in modern history to marry into the royal family of Lesotho. Since becoming queen, sh ...

, Queen Consort of Lesotho *

Pakalitha Mosisili Bethuel Pakalitha Mosisili (born 14 March 1945) is a former Mosotho politician who was the fourth prime minister of Lesotho from May 1998 to June 2012 and again from March 2015 to June 2017.Epainette Mbeki Nomaka Epainette Mbeki ( Moerane; 16 February 1916 – 7 June 2014), commonly known as "MaMbeki", a stalwart community activist and promoter of women's development, mother of former President of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki. and widow of political ...

anti-apartheid activist and mother of former South African president

Thabo Mbeki Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki (; born 18 June 1942) is a South African politician who served as the 2nd democratic president of South Africa from 14 June 1999 to 24 September 2008, when he resigned at the request of his party, the African National Cong ...

Ntsu Mokhehle Ntsu Mokhehle (26 December 1918 – 6 January 1999) was a Lesotho politician, who founded Basutoland African Congress (BAC) in 1952. He founded Basutoland Congress Party in 1957 then later in 1997 founded Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD). H ...

former prime minister of Lesotho *

Leabua Jonathan Joseph Leabua Jonathan (30 October 1914 – 5 April 1987) was the first prime minister of Lesotho. He succeeded Chief Sekhonyana Nehemia Maseribane following a by-election and held that post from 1965 to 1986. Early life and career Born in L ...

former prime minister of Lesotho *

Mosiuoa Lekota Mosiuoa Gerard Patrick Lekota (born 13 August 1948) is a South African anti-Apartheid revolutionary for the African National Congress (ANC) who served jail time with Nelson Mandela from 1985 and who left the ANC to form the Congress of the Peo ...

South African anti-apartheid activist *

Hlaudi Motsoeneng Hlaudi Motsoeneng is the leader of African Content Movement (ACM) who served as the acting (law), acting Chief operating officer of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) from 2011 to 2013. Motsoeneng was removed from his position as ...

South African radio personality, broadcast executive, and politician * Limpho Hani Lesotho born activist and wife of

Chris Hani Chris Hani (28 June 194210 April 1993; born Martin Thembisile Hani ) was a South African military commander, politician and revolutionary who served as the leader of the South African Communist Party (SACP) and chief of staff of uMkhonto we S ...

Phumulo Masualle Godfrey Phumulo Masualle (born 12 December 1965) is a South African politician from the Eastern Cape who has represented the African National Congress (ANC) in the National Assembly since May 2019. He was Deputy Minister of Public Enterprises fr ...

South African politician and former premier of

province *

Tsietsi Mashinini Teboho "Tsietsi" MacDonald Mashinini (born 27 January 1957 – 1990) was a South African anti-apartheid activist and prominent student leader during the Soweto Uprising. Life Teboho Tsietsi Mashinini known by his pet name "Mcdonald" was born in ...

South African student activist, known for leading the 1976

Soweto Uprising The Soweto uprising, also known as the Soweto riots, was a series of demonstrations and protests led by black school children in South Africa during apartheid that began on the morning of 16 June 1976. Students from various schools began to p ...

against Afrikaans education *

Angie Motshekga Matsie Angelina "Angie" Motshekga (born 19 June 1955) is a South African politician and educator who is currently serving as the Minister of Defense and Military Veterans since 3 July 2024. She served as the acting president of the Republic of ...

South African politician * Lechesa Tsenoli South African politician and former deputy Speaker of National Assembly

Business

Phuti Mahanyele Phuti Mahanyele-Dabengwa, (born c. 1971) is a South African business executive currently working as the chief executive officer of Naspers South Africa. She previously held the positions of co-founder and chief executive officer at Sigma Capita ...

, business executive; CEO of

Naspers Naspers Limited (until 1998 Die Nasionale Pers) is a South African multinational internet, technology and multimedia holding company headquartered in Cape Town. The company has interests in online retail, publishing, real estate, and ventu ...

Kaizer Motaung Kaizer Motaung OIS (born 16 October 1944) is a former South African association football player and founder of Kaizer Chiefs FC, of which he is chairman and managing director. He was nicknamed "Chincha Guluva". Early life Born in the Orla ...

, business person; chairman of

Kaizer Chiefs Kaizer Chiefs Football Club (often known as Chiefs) is a South African professional football club based in Naturena, Johannesburg South, that plays in the Premiership. The team is nicknamed ''AmaKhosi'', which means "Kings" or "Chiefs" in Zu ...

* David Tlale, business person and prominent fashion designer *

Sam Motsuenyane Sam, SAM or variants may refer to: Places * Sam, Benin * Sam, Boulkiemdé, Burkina Faso * Sam, Bourzanga, Burkina Faso * Sam, Kongoussi, Burkina Faso * Sam, Iran * Sam, Teton County, Idaho, United States, a populated place People and fiction ...

Entrepreneur and founding chairman of African Bank * James Motlatsi former trade unionist and businessman

Entertainment

* Nana Coyote, Lesotho born singer *

Joshua Pulumo Mohapeloa Joshua Pulumo Mohapeloa (March 28, 1908 – January 12, 1982) was a prominent choral music composer in Sesotho. Early life Joshua Mohapeloa, a member of the Bataung clan, was born in Molumong in Lesotho, Southern Africa. Joshua Mohapeloa's fa ...

, music composer *

Lira Lira is the name of several currency units. It is the current Turkish lira, currency of Turkey and also the local name of the Lebanese pound, currencies of Lebanon and of Syrian pound, Syria. It is also the name of several former currencies, ...

, South African singer *

Yvonne Chaka Chaka Yvonne Chaka Chaka OIS (born Yvonne Machaka on 18 March 1965) is a South African singer, songwriter, entrepreneur, humanitarian and teacher. Dubbed the "Princess of Africa" (on a 1990 tour), Chaka Chaka has been at the forefront of South Afric ...

, South African singer * Michael Mosoeu Moerane, choral music composer *

Mpho Koaho Mpho Koaho () (born 22 April 1979) is a Canadian actor. He portrayed Anthony on the TNT science fiction series ''Falling Skies'' (2011–2015) and was also a series regular on the Teletoon action adventure '' MetaJets'' (2011) and the BBC Amer ...

is a Canadian-born actor of Sotho ancestry *

Terry Pheto Moitheri Pheto (born 11 May 1981) is a South African actress who is known for starring in an Oscar-winning film ''Tsotsi'' (2005) and other South African soapies. She had a recurring role of a heart surgeon, Dr. Malaika Maponya, on the America ...

, South African actress * Sankomota, Lesotho jazz band *

Fana Mokoena Fana Mokoena (born 13 May 1971) is a South African actor and political activist, he served as a Member of Parliament, first as a delegate to the National Council of Provinces representing his home province Free State (province), Free State from ...

, South African actor * Prince Kaybee, South African disc jockey *

Kabelo Mabalane Kabelo Mabalane (born 15 December 1976), known by his stage name as Kabelo or Bouga Luv, is a South African kwaito musician, songwriter and actor. He is a member of the kwaito trio TKZee. He has opened shows for world famous musicians such as J ...

, South African musician and one third of the Kwaito group

Tkzee TKZee is a South African kwaito music group formed in 1990s by three school friends, Tokollo Tshabalala, Kabelo Mabalane, and Zwai Bala. The group shot to prominence in late 1997 and early 1998 with their chart-topping singles "Palafala" and ...

* Tsepo Tshola, former lead singer of Sankomota jazz band,

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

artist *

Jerry Mofokeng Dr. Jerry Mofokeng wa Makhetha (born 17 April 1956) is a South African stage and screen actor who has appeared in several critically acclaimed films, including '' Cry The Beloved Country''; '' Lord of War''; '' Mandela and de Klerk''; and the 2 ...

South African actor * David Kau South African comedian *

Faith Nketsi Mapholoso Faith Nketsi (born 30 December 1994), is a South African influencer, model and media personality. She is well known for being a member of a dance group in her younger years. After she left the group she became a reality TV star and s ...

South African model and media personality * Natasha Thahane South African actress *

Maglera Doe Boy Tokelo Moyakhe (born 3 August 1993), is a South African people, South African rapper and songwriter known professionally as Maglera Doe Boy (or simply Maglera). He came to prominence subsequent to the release of "Never Ride" by MashBeatz after t ...

South African rapper

Literature

Lesotho born author

Sports

Khotso Mokoena Godfrey Khotso Mokoena OIB (born 6 March 1985 in Heidelberg, South Africa) is a South African athlete who specializes in the long jump and triple jump. Early life and family He started his school education at Shalimar Ridge Primary School in ...

athlete (Long jump) *

Steve Lekoelea Steve "Chippa" Lekoelea (born 5 February 1979 ''as Steve Motsiri'') is a South African former soccer player who played as a midfielder. He played for Premier Soccer League clubs Moroka Swallows, Orlando Pirates and South Africa. Career He was ...

South African football player for

Orlando Pirates Orlando Pirates Football Club, referred to as simply Pirates, is a South African professional football club based in Orlando, Soweto that plays in the top-tier system of Football in South Africa known as Betway Premiership. The team plays i ...

* Aaron Mokoena former football player for

Jomo Cosmos Jomo Cosmos is a South African soccer club based in Johannesburg that plays in the ABC Motsepe League. The club is owned and coached by South African football legend Jomo Sono. At the end of the 2021–22 National First Division season, the ...

Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second level of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. Th ...

, and

Portsmouth FC Portsmouth Football Club is a professional association football club based in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. The team is currently competing in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system in the 2024–25 ...

* Thabo Mooki South African football player who played for

and

Bafana Bafana The South Africa national soccer team represents South Africa in men's international soccer and is run by the South African Football Association, the governing body for soccer in South Africa. Nicknamed Bafana Bafana (The Boys in Zulu), the ...

Abia Nale Abia Nale (born 5 October 1986 in Sebokeng, Gauteng) is a South African football player who plays as an attacking midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pi ...

former football player for

* Teboho Mokoena South African football player *

Lehlohonolo Seema Lehlohonolo Seema (born 9 June 1980) is a retired Mosotho footballer who played as a defender and midfielder. He began his coaching career at Bloemfontein Celtic where he was Assistant Manager in 2013. He went on to manage Black Leopards, La ...

Lesotho born footballer and coach * Kamohelo Mokotjo South African football player *

Relebohile Mofokeng Relebohile Mofokeng (''né'' Ratomo; born 23 October 2004) is a South African professional footballer who plays as a midfielder or winger for Orlando Pirates and the South Africa national team. Club career Mofokeng progressed through the Tran ...

South African football player * Lebohang Maboe South African football player for

Mamelodi Sundowns Mamelodi Sundowns Football Club (simply known as Sundowns) is a South African professional football club based in Mamelodi, Pretoria in the Gauteng province that plays in the Premiership, the first tier of South African football league syste ...

References

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