Kealeboga Wa Motswana: WhereasI tend to agree with John Shaw Diphaha's assertion that the meaning could be associated with the fact that whites are generally regarded by the speakers of the languages he refers to, of which I am one, as having been "spat out by the sea", I disagree with him that a "tick" in Setswana is called "kgoa".

The word is "kgofa" unless of course there is some form of a corrupt dialect (of which I am not aware) which calls a tick "kgoa".

At the most, Bahurutshe would substitute "f" with an "h" and say "kgoha".

It makes sense to me then that the word "lekgowa" can be associated with "kgwa" which in the olden days was spelled "kgoa", meaning "to spit".

As to the pejorative use of the word, I don't want to enter the fray.