Xenophobia rising in Mochudi

GREG KELEBONYE
Staff Writer | Tuesday November 2, 2010 00:00

 

If some Bakgatla tribesmen have their way, all non-Bakgatla working in 'enemy offices' such as the police would be kicked out of the Kgatleng capital of Mochudi. In a highly charged crisis meeting on Saturday to discuss the remand of their paramount chief Kgafela Kgafela, a number of speakers called for the removal of non-Bakgatla police personnel, and no one made any attempt to correct them. Not even members of the royal house who were present. The Bakgatla have said that their chief has been abducted after he was remanded in custody last week to await trial over the spate of floggings in Mochudi.

On Saturday as speaker after speaker discussed the need to march to either Parliament or the police station to protest Kgafela's fate, some made it clear that the tribe has to tell non-Bakgatla police working in Mochudi that they are not wanted in the village.

'A re yeng go ipega ko Police letsatsi le letsatsi go fitlha ka Mantaga. Batho ba ba berekelang ko Police ba tlisitswe mono ke Goromente. Ba tswa bo Zwenshambe le ko kae fela. A re ba supegetseng go re ga re ba batle mo motseng wa rona. (Let us march to the police everyday until Monday. The people who are working at the police station have been brought here by the government.

They come from Zwenshambe or wherever. Let us show them that we do not want them in our village,' a man hollered into the loud speaker.

No one came forward to condemn the xenophobic statement. Then another speaker stepped forward and talked about how the whole saga involving Kgafela has been choreographed by President Ian Khama. The man ended his words by saying 'Ka moso re kopana fa. Le bona Bangwato ba tle [tomorrow we meet here. Let Bangwato also come]. The sarcasm was evident. Again no one came forward to condemn the man.  Instead the director of ceremonies asked those at the meeting: 'Is there still anyone who believes that we should not go?'.  No one objected.

Not even those who had suggested that a permit should be sought as marching without one is an offence. So as one mighty army the men and women marched through the village. Eerily quiet. Young women and young men. Old women and old men, they all marched. They filled the road, daring motorists to dare honk or pass on their side. And no motorist would dare. Many put on their hazard lights and stopped as soon as they saw the 2,000-plus crowd. In homes along the way people stood and watched the spectacle. Some joined the marchers. Somehow the leaders of the march managed to control the crowd, which was made up of largely mephato members.

At the police station a small group of police officers waited anxiously. 'The riot squad should be here. These people cannot just march without a permit,' said an officer.

Another officer ran to the main gate, wound a metal chain around it and locked. Then as the police stood behind the fence, the first line of the marchers arrived. Strangely they did not look the way of the police. They just went past the gate, still on the tarmac. No one spoke. No car honked. No music. No one in the nearby homed called out.

'Now where are they going?' asked a police officer, obviously more edgy than before. His mate responded: 'Monna, it is worse than we thought. If they are passing, we cannot be sure what they are going to do ahead'.  But suddenly the Bakgatla made a u-turn and headed towards the gate. The police waited. Expectantly. But the crowd did not stop at the gate.

'Naare ba tseela gore go o fa ke dipota tsa Jericho? [Do these people think these buildings are the walls of Jericho?]' someone asked irritably. But just as the police thought that the Bakgatla were passing, the entire crowd stopped as if it were one man.

They stood quietly, and just glared at the now nervous police officers. It was clear that even if the group of police officers who stood by the fence were armed, they were no match for the swarming crowd. The crowd suddenly turned around and left, as quietly as they had come, leaving the police officers more puzzled.