The Phuthi people, (ebaPhuthi or BaPhuthi) are a Bantu-speaking ethnic group that form part of the Basotho Kingdom. It is ethnic group who live primarily the southern parts 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 ...

and the northern parts 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 ...

Language

SiPhuthi is not yet recognised, but an amendment to the Constitution of

is currently awaiting approval. If passed, siPhuthi would be together with English,

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 ...

, and

isiXhosa Xhosa ( , ), formerly spelled ''Xosa'' and also known by its local name ''isiXhosa'', is a Bantu language, indigenous to Southern Africa and one of the official languages of South Africa and Zimbabwe. Xhosa is spoken as a first language ...

one of the four official languages of the Kingdom. In South Africa, siPhuthi is not among the eleven official languages but benefits from being protected under the Bill of Rights as one of the languages spoken by South African citizens. In Lesotho, the ebaPhuthi remain culturally, politically, and socio-economically dominated by the Basotho majority and with no Phuthi paramount chiefs, they still lack political recognition. By contrast, the ebaPhuthi in

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 ...

has officially recognised chiefs, and the current Murena Kutloano Letuka, with his praise name Vutshemalagabi (“burning flames”), is the 5th chief in succession.

History

Phuthi people are the descendants of Swazi, Sotho, eastern San and Xhosa people who lived in the areas where these ethnicities met in the southern regions of modern day Lesotho and the Eastern Cape and they speak their own language called SiPhuthi, which is a Nguni language based on Swazi but heavily influenced by Xhosa and Sotho.

References

{{Reflist Bantu peoples of South Africa Ethnic groups in Lesotho