Kgafela attacks media

GREG KELEBONYE
Staff Writer | Monday November 8, 2010 00:00

 

Bakgatla Paramount Chief, Kgafela II, could have passed for a church minister when on Sunday he borrowed the monotone of the clergy as he implored his tribe to pursue peace with all people.

Kgafela, who was addressing multitudes of his people a day after Chief Justice Maruping Dibotelo awarded him bail, implored his tribe not to hate government and judicial officers who participated in his remand because they were only doing their job.  'The enemy is not President Ian Khama or Isaac Kgosi.

We can talk about them, but they are not the enemy,' he said.

'I have forgiven Magistrate Nyamadzabo. He was only doing his job. I have forgiven all who had a role in my remand,' he said.

However, he could not extend the same benevolence to the media, only coming short of telling his subjects to boycott newspapers because, on his account, 'they fuel hatred'.

Kgafela's otherwise positive call for a return to a proper Setswana way of life through love, unity and truth, was marred by obvious disdain for the media, which he blames for misleading the nation, including the justice system. 'Go na le letlhoo le lentsi, mme letlhoo le, le tlhotlhelediwa ke dipampiri dingwe, mme di a le rekisa. Ga ke itse gore ke bokae ka ke na le dikgwedi di fera-bobedi ke sa di bale. Ga ke itse gore di kwala eng ka nna.

'Di rekisa letlhoo gore le le reke, le le bale. (There is too much hatred being fuelled by some papers. I do not know the price of the newspapers because I have not read any of them in the last eight months. I don't know what they write about me.

They are spreading hatred],' he said, adding that the journalists are not schooled in journalism ethics and practice. 'There are people who want to see war among our people. They tried during Shadrack's time. Shadrack, it was suspected, was killed for ritual purposes. These people bring hatred among us. They are full of hatred but they do not know where they get it from'.

Kgafela's diatribe on the media was followed by Chief Bana Sekai's contribution:

'Jaaka lo itse, ba dipampiri ba maaka,' he said, giving an account of his stay in prison.

Unity Dow, pleading the monarch's case, held that the Chief Magistrate, Barnabas Nyamadzabo, erred in his decision to remand Kgafela because it was based partly on allegations made in the media.