The Establishment Of The Protectorate (Part 24) � �The Dikgosi Meet Chamberlain�

On the afternoon of Wednesday, September 11, 1895, six days after their arrival in England, Dikgosi Bathoen, Khama and Sebele had their first audience with the Secretary of State for the Colonies, the Rt. Honourable Joseph Chamberlain.

Having visited a London tailor the previous Saturday, the monarchs, along with Willoughby, arrived in the formal dress of the day, black suits with tails and top hats, boots and overcoats. Their secretaries also wore proper suits but with derby hats of the sort that would have also been worn by Chamberlain’s aides.

The most remarkable aspect of the meeting is that it happened at all. Chamberlain, who at the time was the second most powerful political figure in Her Majesty’s government after the Prime Minister, was departing that very evening for a month long Spanish holiday. He, nonetheless, arranged to stopover in London, specifically to see the Dikgosi. This fact underscores the public relations stir that had been caused by their arrival.

Editor's Comment
Inspect the voters' roll!

The recent disclosure by the IEC that 2,513 registrations have been turned down due to various irregularities should prompt all Batswana to meticulously review the voters' rolls and address concerns about rejected registrations.The disparities flagged by the IEC are troubling and emphasise the significance of rigorous voter registration processes.Out of the rejected registrations, 29 individuals were disqualified due to non-existent Omang...

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