Venda and Tsonga people (from Limpopo) have South Africans of many tribes meting out myriad violence to us. We are at the bottom of the totem pole, with harmful discourses about how difficult our languages are, hypersexualized and seen as less attractive and more intelligent. 1/

The violence is expressed through lack of representation in government, media, and other spheres. The stereotypes are that we eat dirty or scary foods, are spoken of in the same xenophobic and afrophobic terms used to alienate other Africans. Tribalism is not a joke. 2/

The violence does ultimately become physical but most of it is seen in discourse around and about Tsonga and Venda people as being dark, ugly, not belonging and existing in the periphery so the jokes are not funny as they have tangible ramifications on peoples lives

It’s also not just reserved for Tsonga and Venda, Limpopo as a province is disrespected in this country. I am thinking of groups such as Balobedu who aren’t even recognized as an official language in the constitution- so much erasure, invisibilization and tokenization is done

Be honest, when you think about conventionally attractive people, who do you rate higher in your hierarchy? Does our features and dark skin color make you automatically put Limpopo at the bottom? Y’all do to Limpopo tribes what colonialists do to y’all. It’s time for reckoning.

Also the stereotype that Tsonga and Venda make us multilingual as most of us speak Nguni and N/S Sotho languages whereas Nguni people don’t even bother to learn to say hello in our tongue. It’s superiority complex that makes you think you don’t need to learn our tongue but we-

Learn your languages with ease, not because we actually want to but because we have to. I for one can converse in all languages in SA, that was because of my own surroundings but also for survival, it’s a danger as dark skinned giant not to speak Zulu. Ndithi wena ndololwane

“Ndololwane “ is an elbow in Zulu a word that foreigners or those who look like foreigners (read dark, tall) (me ) are asked you say to prove that they are South African. I’m tired do I will end this thread now. I’m triggered by someone in the media who was tribalist. Stop it!

I see a lot of typos in this thread and maybe it’s because I am Tsonga that I can’t write properly

“But being seen as clever is a compliment”- No Tryphina, it’s harmful and ableist, now I must study engineering and get distinctions to prove you right. “But I am attracted to Limpopo men” - Ntombi there’s a difference between fetishizing and attraction. Mandingo trope is harmful

“But Cyril ‘Matamamezee’ Ramaphosa, a Venda man is the president” - Haibo Gcijimbi, transformation doesn’t work like that, cabinet and tenders are full of Nguni people and it’s not just about them being a majority, also Cupcake used a Zulu imbongi for his inauguration - why?

“But every tribe/ethnic group experiences tribalism”- Vuyo, ndakbetha ‘All Lives Matter’ your privilege is showing, you are Nguni and see yourself represented everywhere, In as much we want to dismantle white supremacy we must unpack the matrix of domination and kyriarchy.

In the danger of the single story, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie purports that “The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story.” Ndithi all humans are complex

I can’t tell you how many times I have been searched for drugs because I looked suspicious and how violent the police are. I must tell you how fearful I am during xenophobic attacks because every “kwerekwere” including the “ishanganes” are undesirable and unmournable bodies

I hope this thread can be a conversation starter amongst us a people, to be reflexive and adopt an intersectional revolution, because yes Black Lives Matter, but let’s also get our house in order. So Sipho, next time your friends make jokes about other tribes call them out

“But it’s just a joke & it’s unfair because y’all joke about other tribes too” - Mazwi, it’s not the same (eg:reverse racism or misandry don’t exist), there’s a difference of punching up and punching down. Jokes are building blocks of discrimination pyramid, jokes aren’t harmless

Muting this thread, but before I go, Busisiwe; read up on colorism, critical race theory, intersectionality, queer theology and such ideologies. You don’t have to do courses but grab a book or google. Instead of being defensive you will pause to ponder. Remove the veil Busi