Yes Merriweather and Bathoen ii delivered health for all :: Mmegi Online

In his “Our Heritage” column published in the Mmegi newspaper (12/10/16), Sandy Grant expresses some wonderment about six historical facts raised by one of this author’s online articles, subsequently published in print, entitled “50 Things about Botswana to Celebrate our 50th Anniversary”. Grant’s first query is how could it have been possible for the Bangwaketse to have pioneered a universal health service in the 1920s? More specifically how was it financed and administered?

The service began when then Regent Ntebogang (1924-28) supported the Seven Day Adventist (SDA, Sabata) church in establishing a medical mission in Kanye, which was expanded under her successor Kgosi Bathoen II. In this context, as Isaac Schapera observed in his book “Tribal Innovators” (Athlone, 1970):

“In 1929 the Seventh Day Adventist medical mission agreed with Bathoen II that in return for a monthly subsidy (of 50 pounds sterling) it would supply the people with free medicines and treatment. To meet the cost, Bathoen imposed a tribal levy of 2s (shillings) per taxpayer.”

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