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Bantwane Clan — History & Meaning
Tswana clan · Setswana
Totem Disputed/dual identity; the Bantwane of Moutse are documented as a small Setswana-speaking (Botswane/Sotho-Tswana) group, while a separate KwaNdebele Bantwane community is South Ndebele. No single universally documented totem is attested across both; sources do not give a reliable, consistent totem.
History & origin
The Bantwane (also rendered Botswane) of the Moutse/Ntwane area in present-day Limpopo are a small Sotho-Tswana group. Oral tradition records that they moved repeatedly through places such as Mankweng because of warfare, and that under King Molahlegi Mathebe (Mathebe II), son of Ramasedi Mathebe (Mathebe I), they fought a major battle with the Ndebele. The group split, leaving two chieftainships: one at Kgobokwane village and one at Ntwane village, headed by sons of Chief Ramasedi. They are distinct from (though sometimes conflated with) the South Ndebele-associated Bantwane communities of the former KwaNdebele. Because of this conflation and the thinness of documented sources, claims of origin and totem should be treated cautiously.
Associated surnames
Surnames that share this clan: Mathebe, Mathabe.
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.