The Pedi or (also known as the Marota or ) – are a southern African ethnic group that speak Pedi or Sepedi, a dialect belonging to the Northern Sotho enthnolinguistic group. Sepedi is spoken in Sekhukhuneland (Ga-Sekhukhune) and By 1800 Thulare was the leader of the Pedi Empire in the northeastern Transvaal . His capital Manganeng lay on the Tubatse / Steelpoort River There is confusion regarding the distinction between BaPedi people, and tribes referred to Northern Sotho (Basotho ba Lebowa). On the one hand, one military explanation is that the BaPedi people became powerful at one point under a powerful king that ruled over a large piece of land. During this period, a powerful army of the BaPedi conquered smaller tribes, and proclaimed paramountcy over them. On the other hand, another explanation is that after the decline of one of the BaPedi Kingdom, some tribes separated from the kingship, hence the use of the term Northern Sotho. One reason for separation might be related to the power battle that has been raging for many years between the varying factions in the BaPedi Kingdom. In the year 2020, Judge Ephraim Makgoba made a ruling on the rivalry between members of the BaPedi traditional council. The separation of powers between Northern Sotho tribes, and the once powerful BaPedi Kingdom became more vivid during the fragmentation of Northern Transvaal. The Lebowa Bantustan wielded political, economic, and social power in the 1980s with the help of the apartheid government. The Lebowa Bantustan was incorporated into South Africa in 1994. Other Northern Sotho tribes can be found in South Africa's northwestern provinces, and speak various other dialects. Examples of tribes with variations of Northern Sotho are found in Seshego, Magoebaskloof, Lebowakgomo, Ga Mamabolo, Ga Mothiba, Ga Dikgale, and Ga Mothapo to mention a few. Some clans in tribes that speak variations of Northern Sotho can be traced back to the Kalanga-Tswana-Sotho group originating from earlier states such as Kingdom of Mapungubwe, Kingdom of Butua, and Great Zimbabwe The once powerful Pedi tribe said to be of North Eastern African origin that migrated to the South during the great migration period. They are now found almost exclusively in South Africa and Botswana. Pedi heartland is known as Sekhukhuneland, and is situated between the Olifants and Steelpoort River also known as the Lepelle and the Tubatse. History Proto-Sotho people migrated south from Meroë in Northeast Africa