'Tshekedi II' reference offends Tshekedi
Bame Piet | Tuesday December 12, 2017 17:22
However, TK gets very hot under the colour when anybody refers to him as Tshekedi II, whether joking or during an official event. He revealed his displeasure at an event last Thursday where a director of ceremonies invited him to the podium but committed a cardinal sin of introducing him as Tshekedi II.
“First let me set the record straight,” TK hissed, this time not joking at all. “I am not Tshekedi II, unless someone seriously tries to offend me. I am Tshekedi Khama,” he bellowed matter-of-factly to chastened participants from the tourism industry.
The late Bamangwato regent, Tshekedi Khama, after whom TK is named, was a controversial figure in the Bamangwato kingdom.
He is believed to have been against the inter-racial marriage of founding President Sir Seretse Khama to Ruth Khama, the parents of TK, and he relocated from Serowe to establish Pilikwe in the early 1950s.
Nevertheless, Minister Tshekedi quickly dove into business, telling the gathering that he has met Dr Rafael of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation and has learnt a few things.
He said Botswana is home to over 20% of Africa’s 450,000 elephants although they inconvenience humans who live with them side-by-side in the Chobe district.
He added that many of the elephants migrate from neighbouring countries of Angola, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
He said Botswana has no control over management decisions in neighbouring states, but had to accommodate the roaming behemoths in the country.
He said he differs with Kenya’s position of burning ivory saying it does not solve any problem nor does it serve any meaningful purpose.
He said Kenya will have nothing to show its future generations on the existence of elephants if it holds on the idea of burning of ivory.
He said he disagrees with the United States for pulling out of the COP18 Declaration that was signed in 2015. He said when the Okavango Delta was crowned the 1,000th Heritage Site by the UNESCO, there was no resistance or protest from neighbouring states or the 21 member states of the UNESCO Committee that ruled on the matter.
He said it took an unnecessarily long time for the Delta to be recognised as a UNESCO Heritage Site.