Keineetse Sebele: Custodian of Bakwena history
Staff Writer | Thursday March 5, 2026 11:50
Both Kealeboga and Kebohula were offspring of Sebele I, who famously travelled to Britain with Bathoen of Bangwaketse and Khama III of Bangwato to protest against the threatened annexation of their land by Cecil John Rhodes' British South Africa Company.
Kenalekgosi himself went on to play a prominent leadership role within the Bakwena traditional system. He served as deputy kgosi to Kgari Sechele II and, following Kgari's death in 1962, acted as Kgosikgolo until Neale Sechele ascended to the throne in 1963. During a sensitive period of dispute over bogosi between Bonewamang Sechele and Moruakgomo Sechele, Kenalekgosi's steady and principled leadership proved instrumental in maintaining unity within the Bakwena, culminating in consensus around Neale Sechele as a compromise candidate. This legacy of service, mediation and community cohesion profoundly shaped Sebele's own life and values.
Keineetse Sebele is widely regarded, together with his brother Kgosikwena, as one of the last remaining authoritative custodians of Bakwena oral history. As many traditional knowledge holders—chiefs' aides, poets and healers—have passed on, this body of knowledge has become increasingly rare. Unlike many custodians of oral tradition, Sebele has been consistently generous in sharing his knowledge with academics, researchers, diplomats and visitors from Botswana and abroad.
Numerous university students and scholars continue to rely on him as a primary source for dissertations, theses and publications on Bakwena history and culture. His contributions have enriched historical scholarship by providing cultural nuance, context and interpretive depth that complement written archival sources. While oral history must be critically balanced with documented evidence, its value in capturing lived experience, belief systems and social norms is undeniable. Sebele's role in preserving and transmitting this knowledge has therefore been of lasting significance not only to the Sechele I Museum, but to the broader historiography of Botswana.
The birth of New Town
According to Sebele, 1959 stands as a watershed year in Molepolole's history. Kgosi Kgari Sechele II had been in power for over a quarter of a century when he undertook what would become the last major project of his reign before his untimely death in 1962.
That year, the village expanded beyond the Mankgwenyane valley for the first time, reaching northward. The catalyst was pressure from the Asian trading community, who felt the village had become overtraded. In response, Kgari decided to relocate certain wards, particularly Matlhalerwa from the extreme south, settling its residents in the new area.
The move stirred bitter memories for some affected families, recalling the forced relocations from Ntsweng between 1932 and 1937 to what was then called Mososope. Yet this time, there was a practical catalyst: the drilling of Mparalatsane borehole that same year confirmed good water for human consumption in the area. Before this relocation, the only significant site in that part of the village, aside from open rangeland, was the main cemetery. The new settlement was named New Town. Matlhalerwa ward formed its nucleus, with Boribamo ward established immediately to the west.
Among the first projects constructed in New Town were Abbas Bakery and Butchery and Osman Trading Store, both owned by people of Asian origin. The two stores were built by Samson Construction Company, based in Mochudi. The same firm constructed Jalaal Cash Store adjacent to the Native Recruitment Centre (NRC) offices in Borakalalo.
The year 1959 also marked a significant educational milestone for Bakwena: the opening of Kgari Sechele Secondary School, the first secondary school in the territory. The school's origins trace back to 1947, when Middle School was established in Kgosing ward. The school's name was later changed to Higher Primary, and subsequently to Sebele I School. It was here that secondary school classes were first introduced.
Garebatshidi Kgotlana headed the primary section, while T.W. Motlhagodi led the secondary section. Motlhagodi would later become the first Member of Parliament for Mochudi. The secondary classes remained at Sebele I School until 1959, when they relocated to new premises at GaMorwa ward, where the name Kgari Sechele II Secondary School (KSII) was adopted. The school relocated to its current location in Borakalalo in 1972.
The three classroom blocks of KSII were built simultaneously with the kgotla tribal administration hall. Both projects were undertaken by Samson Construction Company. The same firm would later build Boribamo Primary School in New Town and Neale Primary School at GaMasilwana ward, serving children from the southeastern wards. Both schools officially opened in 1961.
It is worth noting the pressure among Batswana tribes to build their own secondary schools following Tiger Kloof's closure in 1955. Around the same time, Molefhi Secondary School, Seepapitso Secondary School, and others were built across the country to meet demand from primary school graduates. In GaMmangwato, Moeng College had already been built by regent Tshekedi Khama in 1947, and St Joseph's College had opened in Kgale in 1938 under the Roman Catholic Church.
Today, Sebele is working with others in the village to landscape the Mankgwenyane cemetery, where many notable figures of the territory were laid to rest. Those interred there include Mohumagadi Phetogo (wife of Sechele II), Kenalekgosi Sebele, Dikgaka Kgosidintsi, Father Gordon and his wife of the Anglican church, Dr Alfred Merriweather of the LMS and both his wives, Kaikanetswe Sebolao of the Free Church, and many others.
The cemetery was closed in 1975. Former ruling chiefs, including Kgosi Sebele II who was banished to Gantsi, were buried in the royal cemetery at Ntsweng, which continues in use to this day. Through his efforts to preserve these historic sites and his willingness to share the stories they hold, Keineetse Sebele ensures that Bakwena history remains alive for generations to come.