Batawana in King's birthday fete
Boniface Keakabetse | Monday October 20, 2014 17:12
The leader of the Matsaakgang Regiment which organised the birthday, Franco Kehemetswe told The Monitor after the festivities which started with a motorcade throughout the village that the tribe contributed 13 cattle for the event. He said their budget for the event was P 50,000 saying P 20,000 was donated in cash while more than P 30,000 worth of food from various businesses in Maun was donated.
The event which was celebrated in songs and praise poetry was underlined by one message: “respect our kgosi kgolo.”
Addressing the gathering, kgosi Tawana said victory for his tribe against the governments’ oppression is imminent. “I promise you that we are going to win all our properties back” he said amid ululations. Kgosi Tawana was referring to a protracted battle involving the Morafe and the government over the ownership of the Moremi Game Reserve (MGR) and the Maun Educational Park (MEP). The two properties were owned by the tribe through the now defunct Fauna Conservation Society (FCS.) MGR was formed in 1962 by the tribe but the government took control of it in 1979 due lack of capacity and maladministration within FCS. The tribe’s contention is that the government’s takeover was supposed to be temporary and that the two properties, legally, are owned by the tribe.
Earlier this year the Morafe resolved in a Kgotla meeting to appoint a committee headed by the kgosi to engage with the government to return the ownership of the properties to the tribe. The tribe say they want to revive the FCS under the Community Based Natural Resources Programme and start getting royalties from the properties. The government has however made it clear that it will not entertain such an arrangement.
Kgosi Tawana said some businessmen with interests in the lucrative tourism sector are adamant to sabotage the tribe claims of their properties for their selfish interests. He likened what he termed land grabbing in Ngamiland to the Central Kalahari Saga where the Basarwa were removed from their ancestral land to give way for tourism and diamond mining.” This land grabbing of our land is impossible, it is unconstitutional and a violation of the natural law” he said.
He said land grabbing is continuing in Ngamiland. According to the kgosi and MP a certain cabinet minister recently used his powers to allocate chunks of prime land in Tubu in the Okavango district to his father in-law at the chagrin of the communities living in the area”
He called on the people to rise and protect that identity and their land. Kgosi Tawana said the government is using the divide and rule to instil its influence and those of its agents in Ngamiland.” They want to divide us tribally and politically to instil their influence. Without land we will remain poor” he said
The kgosi arrived amid fanfare at the Kgotla mounted on a white horse accompanied by a mounted team of his Matsaakgang age regiment.
He warned that there are some elements that are not supportive of the course especially the Batawana saying “lona Babina Phuti le ikele Thoko.” He said however communities resident in the Delta such as the Basarwa in Xaxaba, Khwai and the Bayei are supportive of him and the course to stop the land grabbing. He said he would return to the Bogosi after he has achieved to fight for his people land rights.
Meanwhile when speaking, Batawana royal Charles Letsholathebe said contrary to some perceptions Kgosi Tawana consulted with the Morafe when he was leaving the Bogosi to politics.” He informed the royal family and the tribe. He continued “he made it clear that the main reason he was going in to politics was to fight for our rights. If we supported him earlier we would not be in this situation” he said referring to the land issue.
Another Tribesman Killer Leadimo also explained that what kgosi Tawana is fighting for is a mandate that he was given by the tribe. He said the tribe is fully behind kgosi Tawana. “Re thalefile malatsi a. Re bata ditsa rona di re boela (we have learnt our lesson. We want our land back” he said.
Another speaker representing the youth Sixteen Seloilwe revealed that Batawana will soon form a Trust to raise funds for the welfare of the royal family and the tribe.