MAUN – History was re-written in Maun at the weekend as Batawana thronged the Maun main kgotla to witness the unveiling of Kgosi Tawana Moremi’s official portrait.
Speaking at the event, leader of Tawana’s regiment, Matsaakgang Kgosi Charles Letshlathebe said the regiment has high admiration of their chief and will as a result always stand by him and show their support, whether in good or bad times.
“We undertake to make his challenges ours and will always protect him, come what may. Every one of you here should do likewise, because he is your chief and needs to be accorded the respect he deserves. He is not just an ordinary chief that you must bear in mind. So I take it you know how best to handle someone of his standing”, said Letsholathebe.
Unlike all the regiments in Maun amongst them Matima, Madisakgosi, Mahenyantwa, to mention but a few, Letsholathebe said Matsaakgang still stands out as they have retraced themselves and are now in charge of a lot of activities in the village, although their main focus is to be in charge of their chief and to support him by way of even guiding him whenever the need arises.
He noted however that they had wished to learn from other regiments that came before them for proper guidance, and for them to work as a team for the benefit of all Batawana.
On the other hand, the undervalued regiments decried the lack of proper consultation from Matsaakgang and blamed them for always wanting to impress by doing things in isolation.
While they might not be in the same regiment as Tawana, they said they want to be involved at least in decision making as he is also their chief and also want to be counted amongst those who care about his welfare and other things of good significance.
Tawana who is also MP for Maun West told the gathering of his appreciation of all the things that they continue to do for him. First and foremost, he apologized for having failed to address his scheduled meetings which were cancelled at the eleventh hour without notice.
“We had to cancel them because I was not in good health. Since then I have not been well. I even only attended this event because of pressure from Matsaakgang.Otherwise I would be home resting. But as you can see, I am recuperating and will be back on my feet soon. My office will re-schedule the meetings and your issues, which I am well aware of, will be discussed at the next sitting of parliament”, he said.
He added “I must hasten to say I am so lost for words about this special day of the unveiling of my portrait. It shows just how much you care. I am also delighted that now you have started emulating other tribes by taking care of your elders and honoring them. I would be happier to see all regiments working together as a collective, even though I know we can’t expect you to work as hard as you did in yesteryears because times have changed and you are more engaged with other things”.
Giving a vote of thanks Kgosi Kegaisamang Ramokwena of Boseja ward advised Tawana not to fear anything and remain strong, despite all odds. He said Tawana is a good advocate and that Batawana are not only lucky to have someone of his caliber, but are also confident that he will continue fighting for all that belongs to them as a tribe. Therefore he appealed to them to rally behind him throughout his fight as he is God-sent.
