The Basotho, also known as Sotho speakers, are said to have originated from the north of Southern Africa. The Basotho made their way down as various tribes settled in different parts of the country. Some groups settled in the west, while others settled in the east and further south.

When did the Sotho arrive in South Africa?

Early history

Bantu-speaking peoples had settled in what is now South Africa by about 500 CE. Separation from the Tswana is assumed to have taken place by the 14th century. The first historical references to the Basotho date to the 19th century.

How was Basotho nation formed?

Historically, the origin of the Basotho can be traced back to the arrival of the Bantu-speaking peoples south of the Limpopo River from the areas of the Great Lakes and north eastern parts of the African continent apparently after the over-flooding of the Nahara or Nile River as early as A.D. 270.