Tswana Social Structure

1. Ethnicity
• One way in which society can be divided is through
ethnicity or the ethnic groups they belong to. Batswana
in general are one nation or society. This nation called
Batswana can be divided according to different ethnic
groups or Merafe such as Batawana, Bangwato,
Bakgatla, Bakwena, Balete, Bangwaketse, Barolong,
Batlokwa, Bakalaka, Bayei, Bangologa and many others.
This is a social structure or a way by which the society
of Botswana has been grouped, divided or classified —
classification according to ethnicity. Although we are all
Batswana we do belong to different ethnic groups.

2. • Each of these ethnic groups has some unique practices
that define them as a specific group such as language,
culture, beliefs, taboos, totem and in some cases dress.
For instance, Bayei have their own language and the
same thing applies to Bakalaka found mainly in the
north eastern part of Botswana. We as Batswana, have
one unifying language which is Setswana. However,
different Merafe are encouraged to impart their
cultural beliefs and practices down to their generations
through the process of socialisation. They are also
encouraged to pass on and impart their norms and
culture through events and activities such as
storytelling (folk-lore) and other means.

3. • Another example which can be used is of South Africa.
Do you know the location of South Africa in the African
continent? South Africa, as the name suggests is so
called due to its location which is the southernmost
part of the African continent. The South Africans can
be classified according to different ethnic groups and
they include the Xhosa, Ndebele, Tswana speakers,
Sotho, Afrikaners etc. Classification in some countries
such as South Africa is even more defined as even
some dress codes are attached to certain ethnic
groups. Many other African states also have the same
features.

4. Class
• Human beings like other animals do not live in
isolation. Wherever people settle, in most cases they
are in groups. For instance, people can be found
grouped in a village, town or city. It is within these
groups that people can be sub-divided according to
their wealth or the amount of property one has in her
or his possession. Wealth or material acquisition can
be used to decide the 'class' one belongs to. In most
cases people use different major classes being the high
class, the middle class and the lower class. As already
mentioned one can usually fit in one of the classes
depending on the amount of property or wealth he or
she has.

5. • The upper or high class is usually a group of
people within a settlement who are very rich
or have acquired more wealth compared to
others within their settlement. In a city, town
or big villages a high class is made up of
businessmen and businesswomen and high
ranking government workers such as Ministers
and Permanent Secretaries

6. • The middle class on the other hand is made
up of middle income earners. These are in
most cases people who have permanent or
regular paying jobs. This group of people is
mainly made up of most government
employees who do not necessarily hold high
posts in their jobs. This class also comprises of
some small private businessmen and women

7. • The last class we will look at is the lower class.
This class includes the low income earners,
the unemployed people and those mostly
involved in the informal sector.
• In short it is the class of the "poor" or the
"under-privileged".

8. • In big cities such as Gaborone residential plots are
sometimes allocated according to classes. There are areas
meant for people of upper class. The plots within such
areas are very expensive whereas in the places meant for
lower class people are much cheaper. In Gaborone that
area is usually referred to as SHAA area, such as Bontleng
location, Maruapula location, Tshweneng location, Old
Naledi and others are for lower class people. On the other
hand, areas like Phakalane, Extension 9, and Extension10,
Block 8 and others are for either the upper or middle class
people. This is an obvious measure undertaken to put
together people of the same class — thus isolating them
from the rest of the society.

9. Profession or Trade
• A society can also be divided or classified
according to the job one is doing. People who
have been trained in the same field or area can
be grouped together according to their field. For
instance, within a society we may have teachers,
lawyers, accountants, nurses and others. The
implication here is that within a given society one
can subdivide it using the trades or professions
the members belong to. This is just to show you,
dear learner, that a society can be a group of
people belonging to different subgroups like
profession.

10. Status
• Status simply means the position one holds in a society.
This position can be given to one due to the role he or she
plays within a given society. Status in short is the level of
respect people within the society give to an individual. For
instance, Chiefs, or Dikgosi are usually ranked high within
the Tswana society. Dikgosi are then followed by the sub-
chiefs, ward headmen and the elders and others in that
order of seniority. Therefore, within any given society there
are usually people who are given high respect or status
than others. In addition within that society there are those
who are ranked very low and in most cases it is the man at
grass-root level who is usually looked to as a "nobody".