₦airaland Forum

I sometimes see some of you guys saying the Pedi tribe is one of the minority tribes in South Africa, when the truth is that it's the third largest tribe after Zulu and Xhosa... We're like undercover cops, we can be amongst you without you noticing us because we like keeping things low key.

Now here are few clues on how you can identify us, specifically Pedi people from Limpopo because I've never been that much exposed to the Pedi people from Gauteng and Mpumalanga province... I only come across them every now and then, but we're still one... So here are the clues that might help you spot Pedi people at a party without them wearing their native attires or announcing themselves.

1. The Nike brand, whoever cursed us with this Nike brand has surely passed, because if he or she was still alive, he or she would have pitied us and reversed the curse... Someone once asked me if we have a Nike factory in Limpopo and if it's compulsory to wear a Nike brand when going to a party there...🤦🤦🤦

2. Lekompo music, while the rest of SA and Africa is jamming to amapiano, Limpopian Pedis are jamming to lekompo music... ... It's lekompo or nothing, some call it Limpopo music...

3. Carvela, when Carvela started becoming a thing in the early 2000s, one thought it was just in fashion for a moment and it'll later be outdated... If your husband didn't include Carvela as one of your wedding gifts or you're not spotted wearing a Carvela after your wedding, you better believe you'll be the talk of town... Be prepared to be mocked together with your husband... ... Now it's 2025 and guess what? Carvela is still a part of us...

4. Sepedi wedding music, if you wanna spot Pedis within a crowd of people, just play Sepedi wedding music... A good number of them will immediately start doing their Sepedi wedding dance steps... We just can't help it...

So if you ever see a group of people possessing the above mentioned, congratulations, you've found us...😅😅😅

With that being said, welcome to Bapedi nation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_fSL8JGi8k?si=wDrrN4K5Y8a-9wKf

And if you ever see a group of male dancers who look like they could be in their late 40s or in their 50s wearing brentwood trousers and berets, and a group of female dancers around the same age wearing white gloves and white flat shoes dancing to Pedi wedding songs, congratulations, you've found our parents, uncles, and aunts... In order to be eligible to join such groups, you must either be a marriad man or a woman because they usually perform at Pedi traditional weddings.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWN4gYcJYTg?si=lWW_7hqqJTIenk5a

Some of the prominent Pedi figures are as follows.

1. Julius Malema, he's the president of the EFF.

2. Kgalema Motlanthe, he's the former president of South Africa.

3. Professor Mosa Moshabela, he's the current Vice chancellor of the university of Cape Town, the top university in Africa.

4. Moses Mphahlele, he was the secretary of the ANC in the 1920s, a professional teacher, and an author... He was the one who wrote the Sotho version of South Africa's national anthem in the 1940s.

5. DJ Maphorisa and Vigro Deep, they're the two of the three pioneers of the amapiano genre... I don't know which tribe the third guy is from, so I wouldn't want to tell lies.

6. Steve Kekana, he was the first blind South African musician to ever hit fame in the 1980s... He attended the school for the blind in Polokwane after he lost his sight at the age of five... He later graduated from law school and became an Advocate and a labour law lecturer at the university of South Africa.

He's one of my role models, but unfortunately, he succumbed to COVID19 complications in 2021.

He's well known for his song with South Africa's PJ powers called "feel so strong", which was released in 1983.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hb2Z5SwvdLY?si=qoUAZlHr7zvR_bQx

7. Angie Motshekga, she's the current minister of defence.

8. Sefako Makgatho, he was a teacher, journalist, and the president of the ANC from 1917 to 1923, but continued being the president of the ANC in Limpopo until the 1930s... Sefako Health Sciences University was named after him and Nelson Mandela also named one of his sons after him.

9. Mamphela Ramphela, she's a medical doctor and an anti-apartheid activist.

I didn't know which section was suitable for this thread, so the mods can go ahead and move it to the section they deem suitable.

Samantha125:
2. Kgalema Motlanthe, he's the former president of South Africa.

I remember him, at least.

I have met some cool SA folks online. The white lady was so cool , the colored guys are caught in between two/more cultures.
As a child, I was a keen ANC supporter. The book by Peter Abrahams ' The Mine Boy' opened the horizon for me to understand the day to day struggle of Blacks and Colored in then Apartheid South Africa.
We Blacks are one.

How many tribes are in SA?

Oh! I remember that book, it's about Xuma the mine boy... We did it back in high school, interesting book indeed...🙂🙂🙂

SoaringLife01:
I have met some cool SA folks online. The white lady was so cool , the colored guys are caught in between two/more cultures.
As a child, I was a keen ANC supporter. The book by Peter Abrahams ' The Mine Boy' opened the horizon for me to understand the day to day struggle of Blacks and Colored in then Apartheid South Africa.
We Blacks are one.

We have a total of ten.

ogashman:
How many tribes are in SA?

Cool .




I do wonder why you're trying to create awareness of your tribe to us...

.

1,3,4,6,8,9 are from Limpopo.

Apart from Vendas and Tsongas who are predominantly dark and have a common phenotype amongst themselves, I can't really tell the difference between us and other tribes... Some people claim they can, but I'm completely in the dark.

The most common Pedi name has to be Mpho, which means gift, I remember I used to joke about how there's no place in Limpopo where you wouldn't find a person by that name...😅😅😅... Followed by Lerato (love) and Katlego(success).

I think the main reason why there's an overload of info on Zulus is because they take pride in their culture, which is one thing I'm envious of with Zulu people and they have a rich history... I think Shaka Zulu gave the Zulu nation a public platform within the international market, and Nelson Mandela who was Xhosa and also had a strong global influence... Whereas, Pedi people are more laid back.

Other than that, you guys just keep confusing us and can't tell us apart... You assume that every black South African is Zulu when some can't even speak Zulu... It's just like with you guys, the first thing that comes to mind when we hear about Nigeria is Igbo people.

The relationship between Pedis, Xhosas, and Zulus is so far so good, we might have our differences every now and then, but it's never anything serious, we'd just laugh it off afterwards... I've been living in KZN for the past three years now and I've felt nothing but love even though my Zulu clicks are still not perfect...😅😅😅

I don't think we're insular, we love exploring other cultures and languages... And most Pedi people from Gauteng usually mix their Pedi with Tswana due to cultural admixtures there, they call it Spitori... I remember I once argued with this one Pedi guy from Gauteng when he told me he was Pedi because I thought he was Tswana... Even though his surname was a giveaway, I still didn't believe him... Now when I think about it, I feel bad... He came to Limpopo to have fun with his people, but my ignorance made me look foolish...🤦🤦🤦

I think each person will have their own stereotypes about us based on the type of Pedi people they've had encounters with before... But one common stereotype that some people have about us is that we're superstitious...😅😅😅

Nope, there are no Pedi led agitations.

We're divided when it comes to Malema, others view him with pride while others view him with scorn... It's a 50:50 kind of a situation.

Well, I'm not sure with your last question and I can't speak on behalf of everyone... But when black South Africans speak, they mostly speak with one voice regardless of tribe.

IMEI:
Among the listed people, who are the Limpopo Pedis?

Are there distinctive physical features that differentiate you from other tribes

What's the most common Pedi name...the three most common

How come there's an overload of info on Zulu and Xhosa to the rest of Africa but not about Pedis? Especially with you guys being the third largest

What's the relationship like between Pedis and Zulus/Xhosas

Is the Pedi culture an insular one?

What is a stereotype about Pedis in SA?

Are there any Pedi led agitations in SA?

Do many Pedis follow Malema? Is he viewed with pride or scorn?

You seem to be more open minded than some SA guys on here, are Pedis more receptive of Nigerians than other SAns?

Samatha125

Oh I see, that's nice...
so what part of this is supposed to give you a reason to trash-talk Nigeria, Nigerians or anything relating to Nigeria? I'm curious cuz obviously this is simply informative/educative of one's region which is totally normal and commendable but I'm trying to pinpoint where exactly you planted the bait for your normal routine of trash-talking Nigeria. this isn't me looking to start trouble, it's me wanting to know where the trouble is planned to start so Im able to validate my stance when it's time

Samantha125:
1,3,4,6,8,9 are from Limpopo.

Apart from Vendas and Tsongas who are predominantly dark and have a common phenotype amongst themselves, I can't really tell the difference between us and other tribes... Some people claim they can, but I'm completely in the dark.

The most common Pedi name has to be Mpho, which means gift, I remember I used to joke about how there's no place in Limpopo where you wouldn't find a person by that name...😅😅😅... Followed by Lerato (love) and Katlego(success).

I think the main reason why there's an overload of info on Zulus is because they take pride in their culture, which is one thing I'm envious of with Zulu people and they have a rich history... I think Shaka Zulu gave the Zulu nation a public platform within the international market, and Nelson Mandela who was Xhosa and also had a strong global influence... Whereas, Pedi people are more laid back.

Other than that, you guys just keep confusing us and can't tell us apart... You assume that every black South African is Zulu when some can't even speak Zulu... It's just like with you guys, the first thing that comes to mind when we hear about Nigeria is Igbo people.

The relationship between Pedis, Xhosas, and Zulus is so far so good, we might have our differences every now and then, but it's never anything serious, we'd just laugh it off afterwards... I've been living in KZN for the past three years now and I've felt nothing but love even though my Zulu clicks are still not perfect...😅😅😅

I don't think we're insular, we love exploring other cultures and languages... And most Pedi people from Gauteng usually mix their Pedi with Tswana due to cultural admixtures there, they call it Spitori... I remember I once argued with this one Pedi guy from Gauteng when he told me he was Pedi because I thought he was Tswana... Even though his surname was a giveaway, I still didn't believe him... Now when I think about it, I feel bad... He came to Limpopo to have fun with his people, but my ignorance made me look foolish...🤦🤦🤦

I think each person will have their own stereotypes about us based on the type of Pedi people they've had encounters with before... But one common stereotype that some people have about us is that we're superstitious...😅😅😅

Nope, there are no Pedi led agitations.

We're divided when it comes to Malema, others view him with pride while others view him with scorn... It's a 50:50 kind of a situation.

Well, I'm not sure with your last question and I can't speak on behalf of everyone... But when black South Africans speak, they mostly speak with one voice regardless of tribe.

Very informative...thanks for the response

I know Mpho Popps, Lerato from Big Brother, but I don't know any Katlegos... it's cool to know they're Pedis

You mentioned that you guys synonymize Nigerians with Igbos. Does it mean that SAns think most Nigerians are Igbos, or it became a stereotype because Igbo's are disproportionately represented among Nigerians in SA?

What is the most popular folklore and folkhero of your people? If a movie on Pedis was to be made, what story would best represent that and who would be the central figure/main character

Why do others believe you're superstitious? I'm guessing it may have to do with the existence, or perceived existence of cultural taboos

Is there a particular thing Pedis are popularly known for in SA? Sort of like a niche they're prevalent in and they've come to be identified with in the Country

You said Pedis like to explore other cultures, so I guess you marrying someone from a different culture came with no complications then...I believe your husband is Zulu right?

Well, the thing is that those names are also common within the Sotho and Tswana tribes while Mpho is also common within the Venda tribe... So you can't just assume to know the tribes we're from based on our names... Until they tell you their tribe, or you're good in deciphering our languages and surnames, you might never know which tribe the person is from... Even so, most of us can also speak more than two languages.

As for Igbos, I can't speak on behalf of all South Africans because I'm very sure that there are those South Africans who have no knowledge about Nigerian tribes... But in my opinion, I think the Igbo people are the ones putting Nigeria on the map in both the good and the bad, I believe they're the ones who introduced the whole of Africa to Nigeria's entertainment industry and they also have some of the most beautiful cultural attires... No one knows anything about the Hausa people despite them being the largest tribe in Nigeria and as for the Yorubas, well, I don't know what to say about them...😅😅😅

As for the most popular folklore, Pedis from Limpopo usually believe that you're not a bona fide Pedi if you've never attended their cultural initiation school before because there are certain attires that you'll be forbidden from wearing and certain cultural practices you cannot partake in... On the day of the graduation, we're made to swear an oath to never reveal the practices we partake in to any none attendee or anyone of the opposite sex, boys and girls attend separately... But it's not compulsory to attend, so if you don't want to go or don't want your children to go, no one is going to force you.

And the popular folk hero has to be King Sekhukhune, he was the king of the Bapedi nation around the 1800... He was one of those SA Kings who are remembered for their bravery and courage, for he fought for his people against the colonialists who wanted to take over his land and even defeated them in 1876, he refused to give up his land and cultural ways until the day of his death... And like king Shaka Zulu who was killed by his half brothers over the kingship, King Sekhukhune was also killed by his half brother Mapuru over the Bapedi kingship... I think his life story would make a great movie with him as the main figure... You'll find his statues across the Limpopo province and also in the Western Cape province alongside other statues of historical figures like King Shaka Zulu, Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo, and others.

As for us being superstitious, remember that a stereotype is a general belief about a certain group of people, someone, or something based on unverified claims... Maybe those who came up with the stereotype were unfortunate enough to come across superstitious or diabolical Pedis, because I'm not gonna lie and say there are no superstitious or diabolical Pedis out there just because I and the Pedi people I associate myself with don't fall under that category... I mean we're Africans, and where there are Africans, there'll always be those who are superstitious and diabolical... So whenever I'd hear that stereotype, I'd just laugh or even joke about it myself... No need to be offended over something I know I'm not.

Pedi people are known to be cultural, reserved, and humbled... Even if you offend us, chances are we'll eventually forgive you and move on, but if we don't, we'll deal with you silently without making it obvious...

My husband is Sotho and not Zulu, and yes, there weren't any complications with me getting married outside of my tribe.

IMEI:
Very informative...thanks for the response

I know Mpho Popps, Lerato from Big Brother, but I don't know any Katlegos... it's cool to know they're Pedis

You mentioned that you guys synonymize Nigerians with Igbos. Does it mean that SAns think most Nigerians are Igbos, or it became a stereotype because Igbo's are disproportionately represented among Nigerians in SA?

What is the most popular folklore and folkhero of your people? If a movie on Pedis was to be made, what story would best represent that and who would be the central figure/main character

Why do others believe you're superstitious? I'm guessing it may have to do with the existence, or perceived existence of cultural taboos

Is there a particular thing Pedis are popularly known for in SA? Sort of like a niche they're prevalent in and they've come to be identified with in the Country

You said Pedis like to explore other cultures, so I guess you marrying someone from a different culture came with no complications then...I believe your husband is Zulu right?

Don't you guys have some sort small gods y'all used to worship, you know like cultural wise..


Which brings me to the curiosity if you guys practice any form juju, all those mystical powers thingy ...


Just asking out of curiosity...

Here are some of King Sekhukhune's statues.

IMEI:
Very informative...thanks for the response

I know Mpho Popps, Lerato from Big Brother, but I don't know any Katlegos... it's cool to know they're Pedis

You mentioned that you guys synonymize Nigerians with Igbos. Does it mean that SAns think most Nigerians are Igbos, or it became a stereotype because Igbo's are disproportionately represented among Nigerians in SA?

What is the most popular folklore and folkhero of your people? If a movie on Pedis was to be made, what story would best represent that and who would be the central figure/main character

Why do others believe you're superstitious? I'm guessing it may have to do with the existence, or perceived existence of cultural taboos

Is there a particular thing Pedis are popularly known for in SA? Sort of like a niche they're prevalent in and they've come to be identified with in the Country

You said Pedis like to explore other cultures, so I guess you marrying someone from a different culture came with no complications then...I believe your husband is Zulu right?

Samantha125, is Master KG a Pedi? Seems I saw him promoting Limpopo stuff in one of his musical videos.

Samantha125:
Well, the thing is that those names are also common within the Sotho and Tswana tribes while Mpho is also common within the Venda tribe... So you can't just assume to know the tribes we're from based on our names... Until they tell you their tribe, or you're good in deciphering our languages and surnames, you might never know which tribe the person is from... Even so, most of us can also speak more than two languages.

As for Igbos, I can't speak on behalf of all South Africans because I'm very sure that there are those South Africans who have no knowledge about Nigerian tribes... But in my opinion, I think the Igbo people are the ones putting Nigeria on the map in both the good and the bad, I believe they're the ones who introduced the whole of Africa to Nigeria's entertainment industry and they also have some of the most beautiful cultural attires... No one knows anything about the Hausa people despite them being the largest tribe in Nigeria and as for the Yorubas, well, I don't know what to say about them...😅😅😅

As for the most popular folklore, Pedis from Limpopo usually believe that you're not a bona fide Pedi if you've never attended their cultural initiation school before because there are certain attires that you'll be forbidden from wearing and certain cultural practices you cannot partake in... On the day of the graduation, we're made to swear an oath to never reveal the practices we partake in to any none attendee or anyone of the opposite sex, boys and girls attend separately... But it's not compulsory to attend, so if you don't want to go or don't want your children to go, no one is going to force you.

And the popular folk hero has to be King Sekhukhune, he was the king of the Bapedi nation around the 1800... He was one of those SA Kings who are remembered for their bravery and courage, for he fought for his people against the colonialists who wanted to take over his land and even defeated them in 1876, he refused to give up his land and cultural ways until the day of his death... And like king Shaka Zulu who was killed by his half brothers over the kingship, King Sekhukhune was also killed by his half brother Mapuru over the Bapedi kingship... I think his life story would make a great movie with him as the main figure... You'll find his statues across the Limpopo province and also in the Western Cape province alongside other statues of historical figures like King Shaka Zulu, Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo, and others.

As for us being superstitious, remember that a stereotype is a general belief about a certain group of people, someone, or something based on unverified claims... Maybe those who came up with the stereotype were unfortunate enough to come across superstitious or diabolical Pedis, because I'm not gonna lie and say there are no superstitious or diabolical Pedis out there just because I and the Pedi people I associate myself with don't fall under that category... I mean we're Africans, and where there are Africans, there'll always be those who are superstitious and diabolical... So whenever I'd hear that stereotype, I'd just laugh or even joke about it myself... No need to be offended over something I know I'm not.

Pedi people are known to be cultural, reserved, and humbled... Even if you offend us, chances are we'll eventually forgive you and move on, but if we don't, we'll deal with you silently without making it obvious...

My husband is Sotho and not Zulu, and yes, there weren't any complications with me getting married outside of my tribe.

The bolded describes your conduct on this forum and I can bet you're the only Pedi poster among the SAns that post...the others spit fire

Regarding the initiation schools, how do Pedi married couples conceal their cultural practices from one another...assuming the couple have both been initiated

How prevalent are intercultural marriages in SA?

Hopefully a movie will be made about King Sekhukhune telling his story. The diversity of SA needs to be showcased, it's mostly a Zulu fest in International media

His tribe is complicated, and I don't want to be the one responsible for spreading misinformation, I need to consult the elders first because even I want answers...😂😂😂... But he is from Limpopo.

In fact, he's the one who introduced lekompo music to the world, songs like skeleton move and Jerusalem fall under the Lekompo genre... He's a true Limpopian...😅😅😅

Davoneskay:
Samantha125, is Master KG a Pedi? Seems I saw him promoting Limpopo stuff in one of his musical videos.

Samantha125:
His tribe is complicated, and I don't want to be the one responsible for spreading misinformation, I need to consult the elders first because even I want answers...😂😂😂... But he is from Limpopo.

In fact, he's the one who introduced lekompo music to the world, songs like skeleton move and Jerusalem fall under the Lekompo genre... He's a true Limpopian...😅😅😅

All right, thanks.
Kindly recommend top three Limpopian music to me. I'm aware of the aforementioned songs by Master KG. Also, I had thought only Pedis makeup Limpopo Province. Alas, I was wrong.

You guys really need to stop comparing me with my fellow South Africans on this forum because we all get trolled the same way, but it's how we react to the trolls that is different ... To each his own... I just don't have the energy to be entertaining trolls because some of them are just determined to troll and derail every thread by a South African on this forum, one of them is already here on this thread... You'd spend hours bantering with them today, only for them to bring up the same issue on a different thread tomorrow with the intention of trolling you all over again and the more you give them attention, it's the more they'll keep coming... I'm sure most of them are fighting their own demons and looking for who to take out their frustrations on and we South Africans happen to be an easy target on this forum, because if you check their comment history, you'd find that they also go around the forum trolling even their fellow Nigerians... I don't have the time to be dancing to a broken record that keeps getting played on repeat...😃😃😃

Even if we get married and we're both initiated, it's still forbidden to discuss about it with your significant other... It's a cultural norm and we're used to it... Men know when not to ask questions and same goes for the ladies... It's a rite to passage practice even though it doesn't have an age limit.

Well, some of us don't mind with Zulu people getting international recognition because one thing that I've learnt about being the dominate tribe is that you'll always be catching stray bullets from all over the place...

A Pedi, Tsonga, or Swati person might do something and other people outside of SA with immediately target innocent Zulus without asking questions...

IMEI:
The bolded describes your conduct on this forum and I can bet you're the only Pedi poster among the SAns that post...the others spit fire

Regarding the initiation schools, how do Pedi married couples conceal their cultural practices from one another...assuming the couple have both been initiated

How prevalent are intercultural marriages in SA?

Hopefully a movie will be made about King Sekhukhune telling his story. The diversity of SA needs to be showcased, it's mostly a Zulu fest in International media

PrinceofAgoAre:
Don't you guys have some sort small gods y'all used to worship, you know like cultural wise..


Which brings me to the curiosity if you guys practice any form juju, all those mystical powers thingy ...


Just asking out of curiosity...

How about a little insight on this ..



You do not have to be petty

😕😕😕

PrinceofAgoAre:
How about a little insight on this ..



You do not have to be petty

😕😕😕

After trolling and bullying her, what did you expect?

Mariangeles:
After trolling and bullying her, what did you expect?

Heeiiii ..

Egbami ...


Wasn't she the one giving me needles mentions saying I'm some only God knows who ...

I was just defending myself due to the false accusations...


And btw, it's not so hard to overlook those childishness to give out informations, is it...

🎶 Mm-hmmmm! 🎶 😌

PrinceofAgoAre:
Heeiiii ..

Egbami ...


Wasn't she the one giving me needles mentions saying I'm some only God knows who ...

I was just defending myself due to the false accusations...


And btw, it's not so hard to overlook those childishness to give out informations, is it...

Limpopo has three tribes, Pedi or Sepedi, Venda, and Tsonga... But Pedi is the dominant tribe... As for Master Kg's tribe, apartheid did them dirty by classifying their tribe as a Pedi dialect since it was a minority and had some grammatical relations with the Pedi language even though they culturally relate more with the Venda people.

So they had no choice but to adopt Pedi names, surnames and Pedi language as their official language, they also do Pedi in school as their home language while still preserving their indigenous language, khelobedu... There's still an ongoing debate as to whether it should be recognised as an independent tribe or should remain as a Pedi dialect.

Politically they're recognised as Pedis, but culturally they identify as Balobedu... So I always get confused in terms of classifying them because I don't want to offend anyone.

And before I recommend to you the top three Limpopian music, do you have any Nike wear?😅😅😅

Davoneskay:
All right, thanks.
Kindly recommend top three Limpopian music to me. I'm aware of the aforementioned songs by Master KG. Also, I had thought only Pedis makeup Limpopo Province. Alas, I was wrong.