Bakgatla Bagammanaana (Part 11)

In our last episode the young Bangwaketse Kgosi Bathoen II had suffered a setback in October 1932 when he led a mophato into Moshupa in a vain attempt to impose his own overseer on the village.

Instead, his followers were surrounded, disarmed and returned to Kanye.

For the chairman of the subsequent colonial enquiry, Vivian “Maeba” Ellenberger, the issue at stake was thus the very survival of indirect rule. He argued that it was the paramount responsibility of the colonial state to uphold the authority of its chiefs over their subjects. After some hesitation, Rey agreed that “the troublesome wretch Bathoen” would indeed have to be supported. From his diary, dated March 27, 1933:

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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