While he had applied for derecognition of his uncle Ramono Pilane, hoping for his son Matshego Kgafela to be appointed Kgosi, North West Premier Lazzy Mokgosi has issued a certificate of recognition to Kgafela’s longtime nemesis and uncle Kgosi Nyalala Pilane.
Kgafela admits he is in shock as he never saw it coming that Nyalala could get his certificate, at least in the manner he did, labelling it a cheap trick. He has since warned that he would unleash his full wrath on Nyalala and the Premier if his son is not issued with a certificate.
Addressing Bakgatla on Thursday, Kgafela, beaming a straight, serious face, started of on a somber mood, and as he continued, it would seem he was seething with anger within as he kept raising his voice and repeating his points. Kgafela said they followed due process to remove Ramono by suspending him, charging him, taking him for disciplinary hearing before he was fired and Mokgosi was always updated after they had met him in June 2024 and told him about their issues. He said he pleaded with him not to give them a tough time once the disciplinary action was completed. He said having shared numerous correspondences with Mokgosi and having informed him that Matshego was to take over, they expected a smooth transition.
“We were shocked to learn from the Gazette yesterday that the Premier had cancelled Ramono’s certificate, but instead of issuing Matshego with the Bogosi certificate, he gave Bakgatla Bogosi to Nyalala Pilane. It is so shocking that we were in a journey together and took such a decision. He took the decision without consulting us. What he did is cheap tricks,” he said.
Kgafela said to fix the situation, their attorney has since written to the Premier and gave him a notice that he should fix the mess by January 29, 2025 as the law dictates. He said failure to do so, they as the royal family would be left with no option but to report the Premier to the Hawks for uttering lies about the royal family.
“In his pronunciation, he states that the royal family directed for the removal of Ramono and that he be replaced with Nyalala while he knows that is not the truth. The only resolution he has is the one removing Ramono and replacing him with Matshego and his new traditional council. What he uttered is misrepresentation, fraud and corruption. Those are the charges we will lay against him,” he said.
Kgafela said the Premier does this knowing that he was not allowed to reverse what was done by former Premier Job Mokgoro cancelled Nyalala’s certificate. He said this was done at the instruction of the royal family. He said according to law, Mokgosi is not empowered to overturn any decision taken by their predecessors unless there is a court order dictating so.
“Mokgosi also knows that when Mokgoro cancelled the certificate, Nyalala went to court and Mahikeng High Court dismissed his application and we have that judgment. It has not been set aside and Mokgoro also knows there are other court orders directing Nyalala to vacate the Bakgatla offices. He does this knowingly and I trust they will be tried. If they do not do so, we will consider private prosecution,” he said. Kgafela said they would also file an urgent application with any competitive court seeking orders to fix the mess. He said they would also want the Administrator who was removed from office to return and work with Matshego at the Kgotla. “The application we will make will address all concerns we have as Bakgatla, Nyalala and the Premier will learn to respect Bakgatla. We are hopeful all will be done by April. We are doing our all to ensure Bakgatla get justice,” he said.
Kgafela said Bogosi is not necessarily the certificate, but cultural and once a person is ordained Kgosi, no certificate can remove them from office. He said he was determined that they will overcome. He called on Bakgatla to stand together and not lose hope.
Kgafela announced the appointment of Matshego early December when he said that he would be coming to ‘visit’ Botswana in May 2025. When he hoped he was done fighting with his uncles then, Kgafela had said: “We are tired of the royal uncles now. Even Bakgatla are tired because of Tidimane, Nyalala and now Ramono. It is now time to do away with appointing uncles. And I now present my son to rule you at the age of 23. He has completed his studies at the University of Cape Town and is now an engineer. He is very smart and capable of getting 100% on a math test.”
Kgafela said his son demonstrated that he was capable of leading when he outperformed his peers in matriculation. He added that his son was a smart, humble gentleman whom he believes will rule Bakgatla well. Kgafela said then that he had since written to the North West Premier calling on him to tear apart Ramono’s recognition certificate and issue a new one for Matshego and also publish Matshego’s traditional council.
Meanwhile, Kgafela also slammed the African National Congress (ANC) for meddling in Bakgatla issues. He accused Nyalala and Kagiso of thieving and funding the ANC. He said they have since reported the matter to all Premiers that Nyalala was trying to buy Bakgatla Bogosi. In October 2011, Botswana government de-recognised Kgafela as Kgosi, following the provisions of Section 15(b) of the Bogosi Act. He would in May 2012 depart to South Africa before a warrant of arrest was issued in his name in August 2012. This is after he failed to show up at court in a case where he was accused of unlawful flogging. Since then, he has been battling with his uncles in Moruleng in a battle that seems would never end. Nyalala and his supporters are adamant that Kgafela should not be ruling them in South Africa.
