The 1909 Petitions :: Mmegi Online

In our last episode, we left off in January 1909 with the Acting Resident Commissioner, Barry May, having been instructed by his superior the High Commissioner Lord Selborne, to notify Batswana that while “it was not the intention of His Majesty’s Government to sanction any change at present in the system under which the Bechuanaland Protectorate is governed” and that their position was to some degree different from Basutoland and Swaziland due to the existence of British South Africa Company concessions, it was also clear that the Protectorate was “an integral portion of South Africa” and could not “be permanently administered apart from the general political comity of South Africa.”

On January 5, 1909, May delivered Selborne’s message to the Bangwato, in which he added the words “but it is quite possible, in fact practically certain that the time will come in the future that it will be in the welfare of all concerned that the Imperial government should no longer directly govern the Bechuanaland Protectorate.”

In a brief speech, Khama reportedly replied that his people were quite satisfied with living under the Imperial government and he hoped they would not be handed over to any South African government. May further reported to Selborne that: “I asked Khama if he wished to send a written communication to Your Excellency, but he said ‘No,’ and that he would be quite satisfied if I informed you of what he said.”

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