Tshekedi Khama was right to oppose Seretse�s marriage (Part 2)

In September 1948, Seretse announced in a letter to his uncle that in a little while he would be returning with his twenty-two year old bride to the Ngwato territory. In his own words Seretse wrote; “I realize that this matter will not please you, because the tribe will not like it as the person I am marrying is a white woman.

” It must be understood from Seretse’s own admission that he knew from the onset that his marriage to a white woman would be a violation on the very culture and traditions of his people.

Seretse knew very well that he had not only violated his immediate family, the royal court, but he had also gone against the principles of his tribe. A chief is an asset of the tribe and by going against the wishes of the tribe, he had become a liability.

Editor's Comment
Human rights are sacred

It highlights the need to protect rights such as access to clean water, education, healthcare and freedom of expression.President Duma Boko, rightly honours past interventions from securing a dignified burial for Gaoberekwe Pitseng in the CKGR to promoting linguistic inclusion. Yet, they also expose a critical truth, that a nation cannot sustainably protect its people through ad hoc acts of compassion alone.It is time for both government and the...

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