The Bafokeng community are the descendants of the Batswana people who travelled southwards from central Africa over a period of 200 years.

The Bafokeng people believe that it is every Mofokeng’s right to know about their past because it is their heritage and part of their national identity. Much of what we know about our past has been preserved and passed down through generations by word of mouth, shared by our elders.

According to Bafokeng oral tradition, the community separated from the Hurutshe lineage in the 17^th century and formed their own independent chiefdom. The Bafokeng community settled in Phokeng after they broke away from the Hurutshe.

Despite the repressive nature of South Africa’s previous apartheid system, the Bafokeng community continued to survive and received recognition from the regime. On 6 December 1977, as a result of the implementation of the so-called homeland policy of the apartheid government, Bophuthatswana became an independent Tswana "country" through the enactment of the Status of Bophuthatswana Act 17. As a result, the Tswana people (including the Bafokeng community) became "citizens" of Bophuthatswana.

With the transition to democracy in 1994, South Africa formally recognised the role and authority of traditional leadership. This recognition affirmed the position of the RBN as a proud, self-determined community with deep historical roots.