The meeting which had the blessing of Bakgatla leader, Kgafela, comes a week after Bakgatla royals; Bana Sekai, Segale Linchwe, Mothibe (suspended President of the Customary Court of Appeal), Mmusi and Bakgatle Kgafela (kgosi Kgafela's brothers), among others, were found guilty by a Magistrate Court for vandalism. The offence carries a five year imprisonment sentence. Further, Kgafela, his uncles and his regiments still have about five pending criminal cases after they allegedly whipped innocent members of the public willy-nilly.
The Thursday meeting has Bakgatla hoping that government's intervention, led by Khama and the attorney general, could go a long way in saving the Kgatleng royalty the embarrassment of doing jail time.While Khama's intervention could make him a hero among Bakgatla, those who suffered injuries at the hands of Kgafela's vigilantes, would feel hard done by the justice system.However, there could be no better time for the president to exercise his prerogative of mercy than now when he is being bashed from all corners for pardoning John Kalafatis' killers recently. Pardoning the Bakgatla leaders could work to momentarily divert attention from the recent infamous pardon.
