Namibia Holiday & Travel - People of Namibia - The Tswana
Numbering approximately 8 000, the Tswana are the smallest cultural group in Namibia. They are related to the Batswana of Botswana and the northern Cape Province. Namibia’s Tswana can be divided into three groups, the largest being the Tlharo, who originally came from Kuruman in the northern Cape. In the last quarter of the nineteenth century a large group of Batswana did a Thirstland trek through Botswana to Namibia, during which many succumbed. The second largest group is the Tlhaping, ‘tlhapi’ meaning ‘fish’ in Tswana. The third and smallest group, the Bangologa (referred to derogatively as Kgalagadi by other Tswana clans), have mixed with the Kalahari Bushmen to some extent and are lighter in colour.
Most Namibian Tswanas live in the eastern part of the country, where they are involved in farming, many of them having bought farms north and south of the town.
