Microsoft Word - PhD Thesis Final.pdf - University of Limpopo ...

the same farm. However, regardless of such differences, the people from
the diverse origins who purchased the same farm, found themselves bound
by the common shared experiences and interests. This resulted in the
creation of a new common communal identity according to the theoretical
proposition that identities are formed out of “shared experiences” [Castells
2000].The co-purchasers of each farm in Makgabeng found themselves
faced with the need to co-operate in pursuing common interests such as
grazing, water supply, plot allocations and school buildings. Each communal
entity (village) members were forced to meet regularly in addressing their
day-to-day activities and the running of these communal entities. In this
way, other identities of the co-purchasers, such as those which
characterised different origins, took a backseat while their common
communal identity became salient.
The resilience of the communal identities was also evident when the clans
began to resurface even within the purchased farms. Each original
purchaser cleared a yard where he built his homestead. As time went on,
his family extended as his children grew. When the children reached a stage
of having their own families, the sons usually built their homes just next to
their father’s. As a result, it was very common to see more than a dozen of
related families occupying the same area, reviving the old clan system in
which the Setumus, Mojelas, Ramorokas and Ngwepes, lived in separate
groups.
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