Hegemony and survival

Previously we observed that, as the ecology of the Protectorate began to slowly recover after 1899, the rigorous enforcement of Hut Tax payments became an increasingly important factor in assuring a steady flow of migrant workers from the territory to the mines and farms of South Africa.

Those gazetted as chiefs had potential motives other than colonial pressure to see that taxes were collected. From 1899 they were allowed to annually pocket up to 10% of all the Hut Tax money in their reserves.

Many also imposed special levies and expected gifts from returning migrants. Some of this revenue was used for public projects, but probably most of it before the 1938 introduction of Tribal Treasuries was used by dikgosi for their personnel upkeep.

Editor's Comment
Inspect the voters' roll!

The recent disclosure by the IEC that 2,513 registrations have been turned down due to various irregularities should prompt all Batswana to meticulously review the voters' rolls and address concerns about rejected registrations.The disparities flagged by the IEC are troubling and emphasise the significance of rigorous voter registration processes.Out of the rejected registrations, 29 individuals were disqualified due to non-existent Omang...

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