Gov’t urges Bangwato to forgive Masisi and Co
Spira Tlhankane | Wednesday September 24, 2025 06:08
The Bangwato tribe is still healing from wounds of the past, which included the persecution of the Khama royal family and the denial of access to their main Kgotla in Serowe. All this happened during former president Mokgweetsi Masisi’s tenure, which was ended by the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) last October.
As the kgotla and the return of the Khama family reminded Bangwato of the past, Mohwasa told the tribe during retired Kgosi Kgamane’s farewell ceremony that they should forgive but never forget the unpleasant winds of the past. Mohwasa said he told Bangwato recently, during the funeral of the late minister Kgotla Autlwetse, that it is time for forgiveness.
In 2022, then Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, the late Autlwetse, suspended and later fired Kgosi Kgamane. Kgamane was suspended after failing to take heed of the government’s instruction to never convene meetings at the Serowe Kgotla to discuss issues on former president Khama or any of his family members.
“We should understand why Kgamane is not working and how he left the regency. If we don’t acknowledge the past, then it is going to be difficult to move forward. We don’t want a situation that happened in the past where Botswana’s unity was affected. When a mistake happens, it happens so that those who come after can learn and accept. Kgosi Kgamane didn’t have a pleasant farewell, so people should accept this grave mistake made by the past administration. Those relevant authorities should make sure that what happened to Kgosi Kgamane doesn’t repeat because it divides the nation. We want to lead a nation that is compact and united. We don’t want anger and conflicts,” Mohwasa highlighted.
He said that the government they are working on reconciliation, but it does not mean that those who have done wrong should be ignored. The Specially Elected Member of Parliament (SEMP) said they have to sow and spread the spirit of togetherness and love. He said no leader wants to lead a nation that is divided. “The same forgiveness you will give to others is the same you will ask from God,” he said. Mohwasa, however, admitted that it is difficult to forgive the wrongs of the past but encouraged Bangwato to heal. He assured Bangwato that no one from the armed forces would harm them and that the police and members of the DIS of the current administration are there to protect them. During the height of Ian Khama and Masisi's feud, the police, represented by the Special Support Group, soldiers, as well as intelligence officers, came in their numbers to stop Bangwato, led by now Deputy Chief Seretse Peter Khama, from using the Serowe Main Kgotla.
The forces were dressed up, ready to fight, armed with guns, teargas, whips, and armoured vehicles surrounding Serowe Main Kgotla. In response to Mohwasa’s insistence on forgiveness, Bangwato Kgosikgolo Ian Khama said he agrees with the minister on forgiveness, unity, and peace. “I hear you when you say that we should forget some of the wrong things that were done to us by the past administration. I agree with you, but I will never forget how the past regime removed Kgosi Kgamane from his position. They even tried to offer him a job at the Customary Court of Appeal, but he wanted them to ask for my permission first because I am the one who put him there. They failed to do so, and they continued trying until they were chased from his house and terminated his contract. They even took an elder like him to Sebele,” Khama emphasised. Khama said he was glad that Mohwasa had assured Bangwato that what happened in the past, when the tribe was denied access to the kgotla, would never happen in the current administration.