The fallout between Kgosi Kgafela of Bakgatla and the Kgosi Khama-led government has reached such levels it now causes a lot of concern to some of us who care and value our national unity so much. We can no longer fold our arms and remain indifferent as our national peace, harmony and stability go through turbulent times. It’s not funny anymore. Not a single week goes by without ‘blows’ being exchanged between Kgosi Kgafela and Khama’s Cabinet Ministers.
When he took to the throne as the Bakgatla Kgosi, Kgafela declined a seat in the Ntlo ya Dikgosi (House of Chiefs). He made it clear that he did not want to be a government employee and as such he would not be part of the Ntlo ya Dikgosi which is under the control of government and operates under the supervision of the Minister of Local Government. Kgafela didn’t want to be answerable to the minister. He even refused to be included on the government payroll. He made it clear that he was going to be answerable to his subjects (morafe) and that his morafe would take care of him, hence his refusal to draw a salary from government.
To be honest, this arrangement has always confused me. To me, it didn’t add up that a Kgosi could actually perform his royal duties even as he was not an officer of government. I have always known that government has taken Bogosi under its wings and done away with its autonomy. That was the foundation of the mess that this government now finds itself in with Kgosi Kgafela. Believe me, I saw it coming. However, it would appear our myopic leadership never smelt the coffee. By allowing Kgosi Kgafela to run the Kgatleng district independently of government, these guys were swallowing a big Marula nut and I had thought they are confident of the size of their exit opening. Now their ‘facial’ expressions are a sign of a ‘constipated‘ lot. By allowing Kgosi Kgafela independent rule, these guys were actually swallowing more that they could digest and release. He is now giving them a hard time. You see, Kgafela is a legal connoisseur and I have no doubt his refusal to become a government employee was a move well calculated to wade through legal barriers.
Khama’s government, it would appear, was only too happy to know they wouldn’t be paying Kgosi Kgafela a dime. There was no contemplation of the bigger price they were going to pay as a result of not paying Kgafela. They allowed Kgosi Kgafela to run his own show and he seized the opportunity and grabbed the offer with both hands. For him it was a deal signed, sealed and delivered. Simple! ‘You don’t pay me and then you don’t have control over me. I don’t sit in your Ntlo Ya Dikgosi and I don’t take any orders from you.’
It was not a long after he had been installed Kgosi that Kgafela started frequenting the Courts of Law. I have lost count of his cases that are before the Courts. Even when he appears at the court nowadays, I never know if he is there to answer for the damages to the Mascom towers or the arbitrary floggings that rocked the Kgatleng district a few months ago. I never know whether he is there to answer for his ‘disappearance’ from custody or to challenge the country’s constitution.
One thing for sure, Kgosi Kgafela does not see eye to eye with the current government. Kgosi Kgafela has made it clear he has serious reservations about the country’s constitution. He is convinced this country is being led by corrupt chaos-makers. Kgosi Kgafela is of the view our national leadership is all out to divide our nation. On the other hand, I have observed that the country’s leadership is angry with Kgosi Kgafela. They see him as someone who thinks he is above the law. They see him as someone who wants to create a State within a State. They don’t even seem to appreciate the fact that Kgafela is within his constitutional rights to challenge the constitution. The case of Kgosi Kgafela and the government gives credence to the maxim: when two bulls fight it is the grass that suffers. There are going to be many casualties from this duel. Infact, the fighting bulls are both likely to emerge unscathed while their followers are the ones going to feel the brunt.
At this stage my heart goes out to the poor Dikgosana (Headmen) in the Kgatleng district. Unlike their leader, Kgosi Kgafela, they are under the employ of government. They are on the government payroll and this therefore means their principal supervisors are at the government enclave. The poor old men now find themselves in a catch 22 situation. While traditionally they are expected to take orders from their Kgosi, legally they are bound to take orders from ministry officials. It’s a huge predicament.
The other section of the society that is going to be negatively affected by the impasse between Kgosi Kgafela and government are the innocent residents of Kgatleng. We all know the kind of person Ian Khama is. To him, Kgosi Kgafela’s war on the country’s constitution is more of a personal war on him. We are likely to see a situation where Khama’s administration will start to neglect Kgatleng district in the provision of social amenities. To him, he will be thinking that he is punishing Kgafela when in actual fact he will be punishing the innocent residents of Kgatleng.
Until and unless Kgafela and Khama put aside their egos, I do not see any amicable solution to their problems. Until and unless both Kgafela and Khama stop behaving like juveniles, nothing will resolve their differences. Not even our repressive constitution which our government seems to rely on as a quick way to silencing dissenting voices will bring an end to the shenanigans. The impasse will not even be solved by the stick-wielding regiments of Kgatleng. Neither will it be contained by a strong contingent of armed forces deployed by government in the Kgatleng district. Cool heads must prevail and only then will the two parties kiss and make up. Look, I don’t entirely support all of Kgafela’s demands just as I do not entirely condone the manner in which this government wants to treat him.
Personally, I feel Kgosi Kgafela is being unreasonable in his demands to have culture take precedence over the constitution. You see I prefer the constitution to culture because the former is nationalised while the latter is territorial. The constitution is not concerned about which part of the country one is from while culture differs from one district to the other. What I’m trying to explain here is, the constitution that we abide by in Maun is exactly the one read by the people in Kanye whereas the culture that we follow in Maun is totally different from the one observed in Kanye and Mochudi. Kgafela must take cognisance of the fact that we have become a cosmopolitan nation. There are a lot of non Bakgatla people who live in the Kgatleng district and as such imposing the Kgatleng culture on them would be some form of persecution.
That said, by de-recognising Kgosi Kgafela, government is not solving anything. The minister of local government never had any authority over Kgosi Kgafela. I therefore find it absurd for Minister Mokalake to announce that he has decided to ‘divorce’ someone he has never been ‘married’ to in the first place. It is for this reason that I call upon Ian Khama to bring Kgosi Kgafela to the table so they can resolve their differences like responsible adults. They must do so as a matter of urgency before the shit hits the fan. In all honesty, I do not care much about Kgafela and Khama and their fight for supremacy. However, I do care about the plight of the people who might end up suffering as a result of the two gentlemen’s fallout. I don’t condone any form of anarchy on the side of the Kgatleng monarchy. At the same time it is equally wrong for Khama to refuse to meet with Kgafela.
It is very clear cabinet ministers have failed to knock some sense into Kgafela. One would have therefore hoped Khama would step in. Yes, Khama may choose to, as he has already started, to deal with Kgafela through his ministers but I still maintain no amount of paper exchanged between Kgafela and the ministers will bring a solution to the impasse. Writing Kgafela a letter of de-recognition is indeed inconsequential. Khama and his ministers must accept that even as they say they no longer recognise Kgosi Kgafela, his people still recognise him. Infact it appears to me Kgafela values the recognition he gets from his subjects and is less bothered with what government has for him.
Why is it so difficult for Khama to give Kgafela the audience he craves? Is it because of the cowardice that Kgafela reads in our national leadership? I don’t understand this Ian Khama guy. He is the very same guy who draped Kgafela with the leopard skin during his enthronement. At the time we were told Khama was attending the ceremony in his capacity as Kgosi of Bangwato. It was Kgosi Khama installing Kgosi Kgafela. Now Khama is becoming a chicken and is somewhat scared to face Kgafela so they can talk man to man, Kgosi to Kgosi.
