Home › Clan names › Sotho › Bafokeng ba Phoka
Bafokeng ba Phoka Clan — History & Meaning
Sotho clan · Sesotho
Totem Crocodile (koena), depicted with a closed mouth (Masaleng-a-Phokeng branch); the wider Bafokeng more commonly venerate the hare (mmutla)
History & origin
The Bafokeng are a Sotho-Tswana people; their name derives from living in a place of heavy dew (phoka), 'those of the dew'. The 'ba Phoka' / Masaleng-a-Phokeng branch (associated with the Rustenburg area, the Royal Bafokeng heartland) is distinguished by venerating the tamed crocodile, depicted with its mouth shut — unlike other Bakwena-related groups who show the crocodile open-mouthed. The Bafokeng are an old layer of Sotho-Tswana settlement (traditions place them at Ntsoanatsatsi with the early Bakwena), and they are found in the North West and Free State of South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana and Eswatini. The Royal Bafokeng Nation near Rustenburg became internationally known for platinum-mining mineral rights on their land.
Associated surnames
Surnames that share this clan: Bafokeng, Royal Bafokeng Nation, Bakwena, Bafokeng ba Ha-Tsele.
We publish the full diboko (clan praises) only once we can verify them against documented tradition — for this clan they are still being confirmed. If you can share an authoritative version, corrections are warmly welcomed.