Bahurutshe, Bangwaketse bogosi dispute rages on
Pini Bothoko | Tuesday September 5, 2017 15:11
(Being draped with a leopard skin, with a lion skin put at the feet to complete to crowning ceremony, is supposed to be a preserve for some tribes, especially the so-called major ones).
On Saturday the Bahurutshe defied the odds and went ahead to drape their chief with a leopard skin despite the Bangwaketse’s strong protestations as Manyana falls under the Bangwaketse tribal territory, and government confiscating the leopard and lion skins they had initially granted for the ceremony .
The Bahurutshe insist that it is their tradition for their Kgosi to be draped with a leopard skin something that they swear to have inherited from their forefathers. But the Bangwaketse, through the leader Kgosi Malope II, feel Mosielele’s wearing of a leopard skin is a direct challenge to their authority as only the Kanye’s supreme leadership can, and have already been draped with a leopard skin. Kgosi Malope II who snubbed the event was amongst the chiefs who were listed on the programme to give word of advice to Kgosi Mosielele. But he told Mmegi that contrary to the programme information, he has never received any invitation from the Bahurutshe-boo-Manyana concerning their weekend event.
“They knew that I am against what they did, and decided not to invite me. Even if they could have invited me, I would have not honoured their invite because what they did is wrong and I am against it,” Kgosi Malope II said.
Kgosi Malope II stated that as the chief who presided over the Ngwaketse tribal territory under which Manyana and Moshupa, amongst other villages fall, he was the only one who should wear a leopard skin. But Bahurutshe insisted they invited Bangwaketse chief and even made a follow up with his tribal secretary to make sure that his office has received their invitation. Kgosi Mosielele’s deputy, Robert Mangope vowed to have invited Kgosi Malope well in time. “We had written letters to all our guests informing them about our invitation and sent them cards well in time. We wrote a letter to Kgosi Malope II. His tribal secretary was contacted to confirm the receipt of the invitation. I was not shocked not to have seen him because he has been against the idea ever since.”
Mangope was however not surprised by the Bangwaketse royal’s absence at the Saturday event. “I was not shocked not to see him because he is against us. Before the event, we wrote him a letter informing him that we would like him to be part of the programme and later sent him an invitation card, but he has never replied us,” Mangope said.
Kgosi Mangope stated that even if the Bangwaketse did not recognise their Kgosi as ‘Moapara Nkwe’ , that does not matter to them because what they did was according to their culture as the Bahurutshe. He said that the Bahurutshe are happy that against odds they managed to drape their Kgosi with a leopard skin, as it’s their tradition. “We are a tribe on our own.
We cannot allow Bangwaketse, a tribe on their own, to oppress us. We followed our tradition and draped our Kgosi with a leopard skin because that is something that he has inherited from his father.”