New claimant to Bobirwa throne emerges

ONALENNA KELEBEILE
Staff Writer | Monday April 22, 2013 00:00

A task force that was appointed by Minister Peter Siele last year to investigate the royal lineage to establish the rightful heir recommended Kgosi Masilo as the rightful heir.

Apparently, the first born daughter of the late Gaborone Madikwe, Gagoreng Dihutso recently approached Kgosi Mmirwa Malema, Bobirwa's representative in the House of Chiefs, about her legitimacy to the throne. Malema then appointed Boitumelo Garegae, the village head of record in Moletemane to handle the case, which was heard on Tuesday in the village.

On Thursday the submissions were heard at the Bobonong main Kgotla.  Kgosi Garegae, who confirmed that there is a case of this nature, could not be drawn into shedding light on it for fear of jeopardising investigations, as the trial is still ongoing.

Babirwa has been embroiled in a serious chieftainship crisis for a long time after two claimants to the throne petitioned Bamangwato Tribal Administration over the legitimacy of Kgosi Malema. Malema's deputy Adam Masilo of Sekoba ward and Onketetse Serumola of Serumola ward both argued that they were the rightful heirs.

During numerous meetings to establish the royal lineage of Babirwa tribe, Babirwa argued that Masilo is the rightful heir while it emerged that Kgosi Malema ascended to the throne through elections that were meant to deter the regent as the rightful heir.

Molomo led the task force that was later on appointed by the minister and it consisted of University of Botswana historian, Dr Rodgers Molefhi, former permanent secretary Kingsley Sebele and Shaw Mokgadi.

The task force found that Kgosi Malema only came onto the scene through the 1972 elections not as a birthright, and that among the three claimants the descendant of Sekoba was the most senior.  Indications are that Sekoba ruled before the current confusion came up. Malema's term of office comes to an end in 2015.