Why do they keep on sacrificing Tshekedi Khama?

GASEBALWE SERETSE
Staff Writer | Friday April 16, 2010 00:00

There is no denying that ever since  this  son of the soil died some individuals and perhaps some institutions have dedicated time, resources and energy to making sure that they demonise Tshekedi, overlooking the great things that he has done in this country. It would seem that certain individuals prefer to portray this nation builder as a despotic  tribalist who committed 'genocide' while knowing at the back of their heads that this is far from the truth. Now perhaps pressurized by these individuals, who seem to be driven by hatred for the formidable kgosi, government has chosen to ignore this late iconic nationalist. What is disappointing is that government, ever since the time of Sir Seretse Khama, who also happens to be Tshekedi's uncle, has been appeasing Tshekedi's haters by  ignoring the legacy that he left his country.

This unfortunate trend however is not new because even in the late 1940s, there were some among the Bangwato who used his dispute with Seretse as a lever to eject him from the Bogosi (kingdom).

Back then, one individual who identified a plot to do away with Tshekedi  was one Mokgalo Selepeng who said in a June 1949 meeting held to discuss Seretse Khama's marriage to Ruth Williams., 'Several people got up and shouted, 'Crucify him!' . But pointed to no fault. He was crucified and died for them, He was the son of God. We all now say Khama's son should be sacrificed. Shall we all stand by? Before he is crucified, I would like to know the crime that he has committed...'At that point in time, some important men in the morafe accused Tshekedi of all sorts of things.

As mentioned before, ever since Botswana became a democracy, Tshekedi has been treated as somebody whose greatness and achievements some people would rather not hear about.

Unfortunately for his detractors, historians have adequately recorded his achievements thus far.

Tshekedi Khama and Bathoen II were the most prominent Tswana dikgosi in the 1930s after the deaths of their fathers and they fought against the incorporation of the then Bechuanaland into the Union of South Africa and possibly Southern Rhodesia.

According to one prominent writer Tshekedi (together with Bathoen) ensured that 'generations after him were not forced to speak Afrikaans and some historians further said, 'in his struggle against incorporation, Tshekedi emerges most clearly as a spokesperson for Africans throughout the region, as distinct from the kgosi of the Bangwato'.

The big question is: where were the dikgosi of the detractors when Tshekedi and Bathoen II won against the bid of the racists who wanted to drive Batswana towards serfdom? What were they doing back then apart from labeling Tshekedi a despotic ruler?

It is regrettable that some people, especially those who identify themselves as  intellectuals, researchers and writers only seek to portray Tshekedi as an evil man who wanted to among other things  annihilate the Kalangas and usurp the bogosi from Seretse.

The question is: Do the ba-ka-Nswazwi represent the whole Kalanga peoples? Why is it that some among the Kalangas wish to demonise Tshekedi while at the back of their minds, have their own labels regarding the Kalangas who are more of Sotho-Tswana stock like the Ba-ka-Nswazi as not pure Kalangas or Bakalanga dumbu. Ironically genetically, the Ba-ka-Nswazwi are more related to Tshekedi than the so-called Bakalanga-dumbu who are more of Shona extraction.

In their book, The Birth of Botswana, Jeff Ramsay and Morton say of Tshekedi that he 'championed causes not affecting only his morafe but the people of the protectorate and southern Africa as a whole. One of Tshekedi's abiding principles was that all people, regardless of race, were equal and entitled to education and prosperity'. This is an assertion that has been supported by some Bangwato 'tribesman' like Sebereko Gabasiane who told this writer, ' The Makalaka (some people might find this derogatory) were allowed to govern themselves in the land of Ngwato. They were allowed to plough their lands freely and own as many cattle as they wished, some becoming even richer than the Bangwato in the process.'

Perhaps to understand the conflict between Tshekedi and the Ba-ka-Nswazwi one has to go back in time in history.According to some sources, the Ba-ka-Nsazwi are Kalangas of Pedi origin. Before they were assimilated into the Kalangas, they had been under the rule of King Sekhukhune of the Bapedi who ruled from September 22, 1861 until August 13, 1882, when his jealous brother, perhaps urged on by his white enemies, smote him to death in his sleep. Sekhukhune, who is greatly regarded among the Pedis, was a renowned man of war whose stronghold was Thaba Mosega, in the present-day Northern Province in the Republic of South Africa (RSA). It is assumed by many historians, that the Ba-ka-Nswazwi broke away under the leadership of Sekhukhune under one Tshilalu after a royal feud. This offshoot of the Bapedi finally settled in what is generally known as Tswapong Hills. It would appear that poor rainfalls made them split into two groups, one group choosing to remain behind while the other wandered into the land of the Shonas in search of good pastureland and possibly a good leader. 

The group that remained behind came to be later known as the Batswapong. The other group  ventured into the land of the Kalangas known as Bulilima-gwa-men'we or Boririma ja ga Mengwe as the Bangwato called the place. Over time, these Bapedi began to adopt the Kalanga (Shona) language and culture and the Ba-ka-Nswazwi are a splinter group.

The perception that is held by many historians is that many Kalangas (Ba-ka-Nswazwi included) fled into what was generally known as the land of the Bangwato in 1863 after a serious Ndebele attack.

It is also generally accepted by profound historians that although Kalangas were allowed to live in independent villages and have their own leaders, they were considered Ngwato subjects as they lived in what was called Ngwato Land.

Naturally, the Ba-ka-Nswazwi who were a determined lot became prosperous.Perhaps it would be safe to assume that because of  their economic strength and possibly education,  the Ba-ka-Nswazwi began to revolt against the rule of the Bangwato, seeking self-rule. The leader of the Ba-ka-Nswazwi or ba-ga-Mhwaswa as Tswana speakers called them was none other than John Madawu Nswazwi the son of Kuswani, the son of Mulapisi, the son of Nswazwi.

John Nswazwi was born around 1875 and although some claim that he was a junior son, he was preferred to rule over the Ba-ka-Nswazwi by Khama III, who was his close friend. It would appear that Nswazwi and his people lived peacefully under Khama. Trouble started after the installation of Tshekedi Khama as kgosi in 1926 (1925?). It is said that some of Nswazwi's councilors possibly urged on by one firebrand, Keetile Malikongwa, approached Nswazwi and said to him, 'You  cannot continue to allow that young and inexperienced Tshekedi to be our master, let's revolt against his rule'.

Nswazwi began to lead an uprising that ended with the death of one heavily pregnant woman, Luvano Mpapho who was kraaled by Oteng Mphoeng (a royal uncle) in a standoff that ensued between the Bangwato and the Ba-ka-Nswazwi.

Contrary to what many so-called intellectuals would like to believe, there was no massacre and most certainly no genocide. Only one heavily pregnant woman died but in the minds of some people, many people died and genocide happened.

How about the wars between Khama III's  and the ba-ga-Sikwa and the Babirwa ba-ga-Malema that left scores dead? How about Khama's unfortunate support of the Cecil Rhodes's campaign that downed the reign of King Lobengula of the northern Amandebele? How about Bathoen II's campaign against the ever-defiant Kgosi Gobuamang of the ba-ga-Mmanaana?

The point here is that in the olden days, wars were fought and disputes arose and some unfortunate souls perished in the process but this does not mean the dikgosi of old were an evil lot.

If Tshekedi could exile his kith and kin such as the 'sons of Sekgoma', the sons and daughters of Khama why do some people feel that he should not have punished the Ba-ka-Nswazwi whom he felt  at that time, rightly or wrongly , challenged his rule. The issue of Tshekedi and the Ba-ka-Nswazwi has unfortunately been blown out of proportion by some individuals.Those who wish to label Tshekedi a tribalist should know that his best friend and confidante was Mazebe Sebina, a royal Kalanga. The late kgosi had determined followers among the Kalangas and to this day there is Bokalaka ward in Pilikwe, the village that Tshekedi founded after his fallout with Seretse.

Ever since the so-called democracy came into Botswana, the glory of Tshekedi has declined. The big question is: whose hand is behind all that?

It has been recently reported that most of the buildings that Tshekedi Khama  built from scratch at Moeng College, are in a such a sorry state  that government is building news structures in their place. 

Did this happen as a result of old age or neglect?

When Seretse Khama, became president, the then late, but visionary Tshekedi had built an agricultural farm between Radisele and Pilikwe by the name of Bamangwato Development Association (BDA). Government, whether by omission or intentionally let that farm rot and only last year did they start showing 'interest' in the state of the now dilapidated farm.

Needless to say, that farm could have been turned into a brigade even during the presidency of Seretse. Curiously, now the farm is said to belong to the whole of the Ngwato morafe while in the past that never applied in the Central District or elsewhere in the country, for example, everybody knows that Khama Rhino Sanctuary belongs to the Serowe community, not to Pilikwe, Radisele, Mahalapye and the rest of Gammangwato.

Interestingly, the Bangwato of Serowe ridiculed the Bangwato of Pilikwe in the 80's by challenging them to return home (Serowe) because there is no water in Pilikwe. Thankfully, this never came to fruition because somehow, God sustained the village.

Of late government has initiated a plan in which, Pilikwe, Tshekedi Khama's village, will grow to the southwest because they are bringing 'a development'.

Ironically the government has never brought any notable development to Pilikwe since its establishment in 1952. The Kgosi Tshekedi and his supporters built the little primary school where most of Pilikweans have schooled, the little primary health care centre was built by Mohumagadi Ella Khama and the women of Pilikwe and so far government has hardly done anything to improve both developments.

Why is it that some villages and towns, which are favoured by government,  have roads, libraries, highways, airports, universities, barracks, and educational institutions while the 'fitting' development for Pilikwe is a potentially dangerous dumping site that even the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) warned against.

All of a sudden, Pilikwe, which has always been neglected, is getting a multi-million dollar national project and this most certainly should raise eyebrows and make many wonder why government, which has long neglected the village has found it worthy to be considered for such a costly project.

Most Pilikwe residents have expressed their reservations about the facility but  government in its arrogance has declared, 'Radio Active Project shall go ahead at Pilikwe'' with its poorly informed Minister of Infrastructure, Science and Technology, at the helm. Something says to this writer that the present government does not care about the views of nonentities like the people of Pilikwe and this project most certainly seems like the annihilation of Tshekedi's legacy.

 Back to Tshekedi, despite him being one of the most prominent leaders in the country,  he has not been given the recognition he deserves. As a nationalist, Tshekedi has few peers but the only 'recognition' that government has so far given him is a dilapidated primary school in Serowe that is named after him.This says something about the trend that government has been following in naming institutions because the focus seems to be only on the first president.

While Seretse should be honoured as a founding father, it is worrying that most prominent things in the country are named after him. Surely there are some great people like Tshekedi Khama and other pre and post independence  nationalists who need to be recognized. Tshekedi remains a leading light to the Bangwato of Pilikwe and perhaps other Bangwato and Batswana, so to see government dancing the tune of detractors who want to blow his legacy into oblivion is really disappointing.