THE BOJANALA REGION OF THE NORTH WEST PROVINCE

Flag Of The Royal Bafokeng Administration

The present Kgosi (Setswana for King) is Leruo Molotlegi, the 36th recorded Bafokeng king.

His father, Lebone Molotlegi II (on the throne between 1996 and 1999) was the designer of the current flag of the Royal Bafokeng Administration, the traditional authority responsible for administration in the area.

The flag was designed in 1995 and comprises three horizontal stripes of light green, light blue and beige, with the Bafokeng logo in the centre.

The green symbolizes the algae found in the water in the area and is a reference to the everlasting nature of the Bafokeng kingship. The blue symbolizes water and the source of life for the community while the beige represents the sand found in the rivers. For the Bafokeng, algae represents a blanket and the sand, a mattress.

The logo of the Bafokeng is a modern representation of the Bafokeng totem, the crocodile, hence the symbolism of water in the flag as a whole. The crocodile of peace has long been the recognized totem of the Bafokeng people.

Behind the logo are a crossed pick and shovel, which refer to the common economic activities in the area, namely mining and agriculture. Below the logo, in the center of the beige stripe is a South Africa flag. This symbolizes that the Bafokeng recognise that although they are distinctive, they are nevertheless an integral part of South Africa. This flag can be seen flying at the offices of the Royal Bafokeng Administration in Phokeng and at the royal residence of Legato.

A statue at the royal residence at Legato depicts the crocodile of peace and, having a short tail and only two legs, is representative of a human being. The short tail, and closed mouth, also emphasizes non-aggression as the Bafokeng people believe that a long tail would imply aggressiveness. The posture of the crocodile denotes movement towards water, which the Bafokeng believe to be a sign of contentment. This results in a common expression, used at meetings, "A e wele mo Metsing", which literally translated means "Let there be peace".

Royal Bafokeng is a Tswana-speaking tribe. The "Royal" being a means of emphasising that they have a king. A member of the tribe would be called a Mofokeng. The king's residence is at a place called Phokeng (also the main settlement of the tribe).

The Batswana are inclined to build large traditional villages that sprawl across the countryside like towns or cities, in contrast with the villages of the abeNguni (Zulu, Xhosa and others) who build small villages, originally comprising a single household of a man (with his own hut) and his several wives (each with their own hut) and their children and cattle (the cattle kraal being central to the settlement).

from the website of the Royal Bafokeng

More about the baFokeng

The Royal Bafokeng occupy an area of some 2 000 km2 approximately 200 km west of Pretoria adjacent to the world renowned Sun City resort and comprise a population of 3 million.

The Royal Bafokeng are members of the Setswana-speaking indigenous community and rose to some prominence during the 1980s when they demanded compensation and royalties from mining companies who were mining platinum in the area.

The world's largest platinum reserves are to be found here and the agreement reached between the mining companies and the Royal Bafokeng Administration has resulted in the Bafokeng receiving considerable amounts in compensation payments and annual royalties.