The 1909 Petitions

Jeff Ramsay | Monday June 14, 2021 16:23

On January 5, 1909, May delivered Selborne’s message to the Bangwato, in which he added the words “but it is quite possible, in fact practically certain that the time will come in the future that it will be in the welfare of all concerned that the Imperial government should no longer directly govern the Bechuanaland Protectorate.”

In a brief speech, Khama reportedly replied that his people were quite satisfied with living under the Imperial government and he hoped they would not be handed over to any South African government. May further reported to Selborne that: “I asked Khama if he wished to send a written communication to Your Excellency, but he said ‘No,’ and that he would be quite satisfied if I informed you of what he said.”

The relatively low-key response that greeted May in Serowe stood in sharp contrast with his pitso with the southern Protectorate dikgosi and their followers at Gaberones Camp two days later. The Acting Resident Commissioner reported that he “repeated as nearly as possible what had been said at Serowe.” Partial minutes of the meeting, apparently prepared for the dikgosi, do not contain any reference to British South Africa Company interests. Otherwise, they are in general agreement with May’s official account of the meeting.

Sebele, as the senior BP Kgosi, was the first to reply to May, stating:

“I hear what you have said. When the three Chiefs went to England, we feared the rule of the Chartered Company. We went because we did not want a new Government. Then too we were afraid both of the Transvaal and Cape Government. We wished to be under the direct control of the Imperial Government. I am under the King- King Edward. True, we may appear useless people; nevertheless, we have no desire to change. We are thankful for the protection we enjoy today. To be handed over – No! We wish to rule our people as heretofore. We decide our disputes according to our customs. When a man is born under one Government how can he be happy under another? If we go, we go simply as a result of compulsion but our hearts we leave behind....”

Sebele was followed by Bathoen, of whose address May reported: 

“He created quite a dramatic little scene. He held out his hand in order that all might see a signet ring, engraved with a crocodile, the totem of the Bangwaketsi, and declared ‘A ring is a sign of an indissoluble bond. This ring was given to me by the late Queen Victoria...as a proof that the promises made would never be broken and that the Bangwaketsi would forever remain under the protection of Her Majesty.’ Then turning to Sebele he called upon him to produce his sign, which the latter immediately did by raising his hand, on which all could see a similar ring.”

Bathoen was followed by Linchwe, Baitlotle of the Balete, and “many” others, including non-royals, all of whom were unanimous in their firm opposition to the transfer.

Unlike Khama the southern rulers proved eager to forward petitions of their desire to prevent any change in British sovereignty over them. A second Bakwena petition to the High Commissioner, drafted the day after the meeting, was followed by similar initiatives on behalf of the Bakgatla, Balete, and Bangwaketse.

The Bakwena and Bangwaketse appeals were particularly notable for both their lawyerly arguments about their alleged 1895 “contract” with Queen Victoria and forthright condemnations of discriminatory practices within the settler colonies. The petitions were forwarded to London in February 1909, where their appearance conveniently coincided with the arrival of a Basotho deputation bearing two petitions from Morena Letsie to King Edward on the subjects of the Union and the “Expulsion Laws”.

The Batswana struggle to remain outside of South Africa entered a new phase during February-March 1909, when Sebele, on behalf of Bathoen as well as himself, recruited Joseph Gerrans (1850-1915) who was going to Britain for his health to represent them while in London.

Described in his obituary as “a man of firm conviction [who] had a large sympathy for the native and coloured people who regarded him as a staunch friend”; Gerrans was a mechanical engineer who made his living as a blacksmith, coach, and wagon builder. He had also been hailed as a war hero for his role in the defence of Mafikeng during the 1899-1902 Boer War. But it was his relationships with indigenous Africans that made him exceptional for his age.