Bakalanga and Baroe (Basotho, Batswana) – a deadly embrace!

I have been prompted to write this, by an article written by Jeff Ramsay in the Sunday Standard of December 11-17, 2011, entitled “Builders of Botswana 1; Children of the Mambo”. Jeff Ramsay’s focus is on events that occurred starting from around the 17^th Century.  He writes:

The Bakwena royal names “Sechele” and “Sebele” for example, are apparently of Ikalanga origin. Does this mean that the Bakwena royalty were once Bakalanga? Absolutely not! They are rather the true descendents of Masilo a Malope, if not Matsieng of Lowe…

Right there JR, is the distinction between Bakalanga and BaTebele. A significant percentage of Bakalanga are descendants of Malope, while BaTebele descended from  Lowe. Lowe, as we know by now is Mapungubwe mesa in South Africa, but what is Malope?  Malope is the continent of Europe. The name Malope is a corruption of the Kalanga word “Malopa” meaning “Blood”. The current name “Europe” is a Roe (Sotho/Tswana) influence on the word Malopa to produce “Uropa”, which is a later reference to the European continent. Bakalanga (specifically Bayela) in Botswana are North Africans and Europeans who re-emigrated back into Africa, after wiping out the Neanderthal in Europe, hence “Blood”. The Neanderthal must have put up a fierce resistance to the Human incursion into Europe from North Africa.

On re-entry into Africa, the Europeans (Bayela) first settled in Sudan/Nubia (Taka dwa ku Bunyubi), before heading down south.

So there are three main categories of nations in Botswana today:

1.            Bakalanga (from Egypt and Nubia), among whom we count BaYela i.e. BakaHabangana, Bakwena, Bangwaketse, Bangwato, Batawana;  Banyayi i.e. the Moyo, the Chuma ; Bakaa and possibly others.

2.            BaTebele (from ancient Mapungubwe in South Africa), among whom we count Bahurutshe, BaRolong, BaKgatla, Batlokwa, Balete, Bahumbe, Barotsi and possibly others.

3.            Part-BaKalanga and part-BaTebele (initially from Mapungubwe/Lowe, but later from Egypt and environs), among whom we count Baperi i.e. BakaNswazwi, BakaMasunga etc.; Bakhurutshe.

There are very few Shonas in Botswana, if we exclude the Banyayi. It is instructive to note that Bangwato refer to Batalaote/Banyayi as “Baswina”. In Ikalanga language, the Shonas are referred to similarly, i.e. as “Baswina”. So who are these Baswina? In actual fact they are “Bazwina”, meaning “gate keepers” or “shields”. These are the people who used to act as a buffer between Bakalanga in lower Egypt (the North), and Baroe/Badawi in Upper Egypt (the South), until Pharao Mengwe (Narmer), a king of Baroe, broke loose from the south and conquered the north. It is this role of “Bazwina” that is now erroneously, attributed to the Bakaa, of Sebina/Tjibizina (allegedly Tjizwina) today, with claims that they were used as a shield by She Mengwe of Maitengwe. In actual fact the people whom Pharao Mengwe (Narmer) used as a shield, on his Northern flank, were indeed called Bazwina, i.e. the Shonas. They acted as a buffer between his (Mengwe’s) Baroe in Upper Egypt and the Bakalanga in Lower Egypt. That is why Shona language sounds like a hi-breed between Ikalanga and Chirwa (SeSotho, SeTswana).