Khama installs Seleka chief despite pending court dispute
Mpho Mokwape | Wednesday September 10, 2025 14:16
The matter is between Balemetse Melitah Kobe Seleka, the claimant to the bogosi seat, and the Attorney General, the Minister of Local Government and Traditional Affairs, being Ketlhalefile Motshegwa, and Kobe Baitswi, who is the recognised Kgosana.
Seleka is challenging the decision made by the minister to appoint Baitswi as the new leader of Seleka. She says that the decision was wrong, unfair, and unlawful.
In her founding affidavit, Seleka says she is the rightful heir to the Seleka chieftaincy because her late father, Gabagopole Kobe Seleka, was the chief before he passed away.
'My grandfather, Kobe Seleka, was chief before my father. The chieftaincy has always been in my family, and there has never been a court ruling or any official decision that took it away from them,' she stated in her court papers.
Seleka says that in August 2020, a meeting was held at the Seleka Customary Court to deal with a complaint about her father’s position as chief, and after the meeting, her father was confirmed as the rightful chief, and this decision was never challenged.
She explained that when her father passed away in 2021, her family and village elders chose her to take over the chieftaincy, and her uncle, Piet Mphakela Modiakgotla, who acted as temporary leader after her father’s death, submitted her name to the ministry for recognition.
However, she says she later found out that the minister had instead appointed Kobe Baitswi as the new chief.
'This decision was a surprise to me and my family. I believe there was no proper consultation, and I never received a reason why my name was rejected,' she said.
Seleka has also claimed that Baitswi’s family has never been part of the chieftaincy line in Seleka and further stated that the meeting held in July 2024, where the decision to recognise Baitswi was made, was unfair.
She indicated that her uncle was present at the meeting but was not allowed to speak, even though he raised his hand, and that the meeting also failed to mention that her father had been the rightful chief, and there was no explanation why the chieftaincy was taken from her family.
According to Seleka, the records she received from the government do not show any proper process or consultation that led to the appointment of Baitswi.
She says this makes the whole process unlawful and wants the court to cancel the appointment as she believes that by culture and custom, when a chief dies, their children should take over, unless the chief was only holding the position temporarily.
'My father was not a temporary chief, and therefore, the position should have come to me. Baitswi has no close family ties to the royal family of Seleka and should not have been considered for the role. My family was not involved or informed about the decision, and even after asking for reasons, we received none. Because of all these reasons, I have asked the court to set aside the appointment of Baitswi and to order the government to pay my legal costs,' she said.
She concluded that if the government had handled the matter properly, she would not have needed to go to court.
The case is currently pending before the Francistown High Court.