Lobedu people
Southern African ethnic group / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Lobedu or Balobedu (also known as the BaLozwi or Bathobolo) are a southern African ethnic group that speak a Northern Sotho dialect. Their area is called Bolobedu. The name "balobedu" means "the mineral miners," lobela or go loba, - to mine. Their ancestors were part of the great Mapungubwe early civilization. They have their own kingdom, the Balobedu Kingdom, within the Limpopo Province of South Africa with a female ruler, the Rain Queen Modjadji.
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Balobedu | |
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Regions with significant populations | |
Limpopo, Tzaneen | |
Languages | |
First language Khelobedu Second language English, Sepedi, and other South African Bantu Languages | |
Religion | |
Christianity, African traditional religion | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Sotho people, Pedi people, Venda people, Tswana people, Dhewa |
Lobedu | |
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Person | Molobedu |
People | Balobedu |
Language | Khelobedu |
Country | Bolobedu |
It is estimated that there are around 1 million BaLobedu in South Africa. Their population is found in Greater Letaba Local Municipality (171 011 or 80.4% based on the 2011 census), Greater Tzaneen Local Municipality (200 000 or 46% based on the 2011 census), Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality (70 000 or 47% based on the 2011 census), Greater Giyani Local Municipality (20 000 or 6.4% based on the 2011 census), and smaller villages in Limpopo. Some are found in Gauteng province as labor migrants, especially in Tembisa and Alexandra townships.