page_title: Royal Bafokeng Nation
section_title: Politics
hierarchical_section_title: Royal Bafokeng Nation / Politics
caption_attribution_description: U.S. Embassy Pretoria Press Attache Sharon Hudson-Dean poses for a photo with King of the Royal Bafokeng Nation, Kgosi Leruo Tshekedi Molotlegi, and a fellow U.S. Embassy Pretoria staff member before two Under-11 Bafokeng Football Academy teams previewed the FIFA 2010 World Cup match between the United States and Ghana by playing each other as the “U.S.” and Ghana” on June 25, 2010, in Rustenburg, South Africa. The game highlighted the development of rural soccer in South Africa, particularly in the Royal Bafokeng Nation, which consists of twenty-nine villages located in the Rustenburg Valley in the North West Province. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]
context_page_description: The Royal Bafokeng Nation is the ethnic homeland of the Bafokeng people, a Setswana-speaking traditional community. The monarchy covers 1,000 square kilometers in the North West Province of South Africa. The capital is Phokeng, near Rustenburg. "Bafokeng" is used to refer to both the tribal grouping as well as the land its members inhabit. The kingdom's current ruler is Kgosi Leruo Molotlegi, who has reigned since 2000. The Bafokeng first settled in the Rustenburg Valley, the presence of the ceramic in the area dating to c1450AD suggest the arrival of the bafokeng in the Rustenburg Phokeng valley at about this time. Kgosi Tshukudu becomes the first king of the unified Bafokeng in 1750.
  The nation gained greater international attention in 2010, owing to its Royal Bafokeng Stadium, where six of the FIFA 2010 World Cup games were played, and the Bafokeng Sports Campus, where they hosted the England football team during the World Cup.
context_section_description: Kgosi Leruo Tshekedi Moletlegi, the 36th recorded monarch of the Bafokeng people, was enthroned in August 2003. His predecessor was his elder brother, Lebone II. Kgosi Leruo Molotlegi is the 15th member of the current dynasty.
  List of the most recent kings and their periods of reign:
  1834–1891: Kgosi Mokgatle
  1891–1896: Kgosi Tumagole
  1897–1938: Kgosi Molotlegi
  1938–1956: Kgosi Manotshe Molotlegi
  1956–1995: Kgosi Lebone Edward Molotlegi
  1995–2000: Kgosi Mollwane Molotlegi
  since 2000: Kgosi Leruo Molotlegi
caption: The king of the Bafokeng nation, Kgosi Leruo Tshekedi Molotlegi
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