The Establishment Of The Protectorate (Part 21) � �The 4 Dikgosi Embark For Britain�

We left off on the morning of Wednesday the 21st of August 1895 with Cecil Rhodes and the British High Commissioner at the Cape, Sir Hercules Robinson, having failed in their last ditch efforts to dissuade Dikgosi Bathoen, Khama and Sebele in their determination to depart for Britain to lobby against the Bechuanaland Protectorate’s administrative transfer to the British South Africa Company.

In the afternoon the Bechuanaland delegation finally boarded the passenger steamship RMS Tantallon Castle at Cape Town’s Victoria basin docks bound for Plymouth England. With the belated arrival of the Barolong booRatshidi Crown Prince Besele to join Bathoen, Khama and Sebele, there were now four royals at the head of a united delegation.

Each of the kgosi was further accompanied by a their respective tribal secretaries, all of whom were fluent in English, namely David Sebonego of the Bangwaketse, Simeon Seisa of the Bangwato, Kehutile Gohiwamang of the Bakwena and, senior among them, Stephen Lefenya of the Barolong, who by then had very ably served Kgosi Montshiwa for some four decades. Also on board for the mission was Bathoen’s brother Kwenaetsile.

Editor's Comment
Routine child vaccination imperative

The recent Vaccination Day in Motokwe, orchestrated through collaborative efforts between UNICEF, USAID, BRCS, and the Ministry of Health, underscores a commendable stride towards fortifying child health services.The painful reality as reflected by the Ministry of Health's data regarding the decline in routine immunisation coverage since the onset of the pandemic, is a cause for concern.It underscores the urgent need to address the...

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