Ubuntu, a Zulu word with botho as its sesotho equivalent, has generally been described as a world-view of African societies and a determining factor in the formation of perceptions which influence social conduct. It has also been described as a philosophy of life, which in its most fundamental sense represents personhood, humanity, humaneness, and morality; a metaphor that describes group solidarity where such group solidarity is central to the survival of communities with a scarcity of resources, and the fundamental belief is that “[u]buntu ngumuntu ngabantu, motho ke motho ba batho ba bangwe,” which, literally translated, means “a human being is a human being because of other human beings.”
The individual’s existence and well-being are relative to that of the group. This is manifested in anti-individualistic conduct that threatens the survival of the group. If the individual is to survive within the group, there must be collective effort for group survival. Basically, it is a humanistic orientation toward fellow beings.
The notion, “a human being is a human being because of other human beings,” implies that during one’s lifetime, one is constantly challenged by others, practically, to achieve self-fulfillment through a set of collective social ideals.
The concept of family is a broad “nuclear” family, which includes the extended family. People are willing to pool community resources to help an individual in need. This is captured in some of the African aphorisms such as, “[m]otho ke motho ka batho ba bangwe,” which literally translated means, “people live through the help of others,” and, “a botho ba gago e nne botho seshabeng,” which literally translated means, “let your welfare be the welfare of the nation.”
Group solidarity, conformity, compassion, respect, human dignity, humanistic orientation, and collective unity have, among others, been defined as key social values of ubuntu. Because of the expansive nature of the concept, its social value will always depend on the approach and the purpose upon which it is relied. Thus, its value has also been viewed as its basis for a morality of cooperation, compassion, communalism, concern for the interests of the collective respect, and respect for the dignity of personhood, with emphasis on the virtues of that dignity in social relationships and practices.
The importance of group solidarity requires restoration of peace between litigants, rather than an all-out victor and an all-out loser.