Mmakgosi ruins must be preserved

CHIPPA LEGODIMO
Staff Writer | Friday March 16, 2012 00:00

 

Only bits and pieces are left of what used to be Mmakgosi's house at Ntsweng heritage site where the royal grave yard is also located. The big open space surrounded by hills used to be Bakwena capital between 1864 and 1937 before the British authorities encouraged resettlement of the tribe to present day Molepolole. The house belonged to Mohumagadi Phetogo Sechele (Mmakgosi) who was wife to Kealeboga Sechele II who was son of Sebele I.

From the look of things looters might have had a hand in bringing the walls down and scavenged for the red baked bricks though weather conditions also played a big part leaving only a few pieces standing.

Some stags of the red bricks are visible around the house which show that some looters might have left them after 'taking enough home'. The cement floor however, is still in shape, not fragmented probably due to the nature of quality materials used. Mmakgosi raised his sons Kelebantse, Tumagole, Padi, Mosarwa, Kgari, Kgwanyakgwanyang as well as Neal Sechele in that house before the family moved to the present day Bakwena kgotla.

After this vacation the old royal house is said to have been used as a tribal office but once modern offices were built at Kgosing it was left to collapse beyond recognition.

This is despite the fact that just metres away from this house which has a significant historical importance, lies the royal graveyard. The picture of the house at the Kgari Sechele museum taken not long ago though not clearly captioned, shows an old but standing house while a sorry sight meets any visitor who might be intrigued to go see it in person.

The house has been declared a national monument but little has been done to protect it in terms of proper fencing. Although the Sechele I Museum in Molepolole is currently working on a strategy to restore it, chances are that it might be too late once they have sourced funds for the project. However, Sechele's grandson Keineetse Sebele who is also a founding member of Sechele I Museum and a group of other concerned Bakwena have formed Sechele I Park which is also putting effort to salvage what is left of the monument. A cultural enthusiast, Sebele says he was able to save some of the house 'accessories'.

'I also once lived in that house and when I realised that it was left to die like that I decided to take its tin ceiling for preservation. It had a special ceiling that a lot of people have not seen because it is no longer there,' Sebele told Arts and Culture. The house, believed to have been built around 1902, was vacated by the royal family in 1956 according to Sebele.

After moving to the new kgosing ward Mohumagadi Mmasechele died 10 years later.

'It was hurting to see a house with such historical importance being left to dilapidate into nothing. Sechele I Park is not only looking at the house at Ntsweng because that is where our destiny was somehow decided as Bakwena.

But we are also working on raising money to erect Sechele's monument there as well,' Sebele said.

Sechele I Museum curator Kawina Kawina has said that the restoration of the Mmakgosi's house was a priority project during the museum's 2012 development plan.

'It is among the top priority projects because we are also concerned at the way it has continued to digress. We are facing a serious challenge of shortage of funds but we will work with other stakeholders to ensure that we arrest the situation before the ruins are completely gone,' Kawina said. He also elaborated that the project will be covered under the development of Ntsweng Heritage site. The site covers a 56,000 square metres area where there are visible marks of old rondavels. There are indications that trade in modern tools and ornaments also took place at this location. In fact, there were some relics excavated at the site sometime in 1994 which are currently on display at the Sechele I museum.

Though the Sechele I museum staff checks the site regularly as it falls under their jurisdiction, the fact that it has no fence and located on the outskirts of Molepolole means domestic animals also move freely around the area causing further damage to the ruins and even the graves.

Some of the marble tombstones are already broken, which is evidence that cattle have been using them to ease their skin itches.

Kawina said that due to budget constraints they were unable to engage a security company to guard the heritage site.