Mission To Kgwakgwe

We left off in August 1824 with the Rev. Robert Moffat's party having received a regal welcome at Kgwakgwe in keeping with Makaba II’s openly stated desire that his visit should open the door to others who had previously avoided his country, based on the disinformation of hostile neighbours and exiled internal opponents.

In this respect what is sometimes ignored is that Moffat was accompanied by a sizable party of Berganaar Griqua, led by their Kaptyn (clan leader/chief) Barend Barends, who had come on his own diplomatic initiative to overcome the legacy of mistrust between his followers, by then already allies of the Batlhaping, and the Bangwaketse.

As a by-then important middleman in the trans-Gariep or Orange River trade in game products to the Cape Colony, Barends, like Makaba, had a material interest in establishing direct trade links with Gangwaketse.

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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