Sandy Grant who has died aged 83 predicted that he would die “within a very short time” last year. It was in April last year that he called me on my cell phone wanting to know when I would “come this side”. I told him I was at the cattle post and I was expecting to go to Mochudi in the next three days and that I would visit him as soon as I arrive. By saying this side, Sandy Grant meant his home at Oodi. Indeed I honoured the invitation in three days time. When I arrived at his home, he was in the library room. His wife, Elinah Grant called him out saying “Sandy, here is Kwapeng”. He came out and we sat around the still table. He started by asking me to say what was going on at the cattle post.
After a while he walked back into the room saying “well let me bring you the stuff. The stuff he was bringing turned out to be bundles of items of historical importance. Among them was a letter written by Kgosi Molefi while serving in the World War II somewhere in North Africa. The letter was addressed to one of his uncles, Amos Kgamanyane whom he addressed as “my friend”. During the war, Mochudi was ruled by a triumvirate. Amos was one of them. The others were Bakgatle Pilane and Molefe Pilane. In the letter, Molefi discussed some judicial matters and the writer was cautioning the addressee to handle them with atmost care. The letter concluded by advising the addressee not to reply because Molefi was about to move to the Far East and did not know his next address.
There were two significant photographs in the bundle. One depicts the installation of Kgosi Linchwe II in 1963 and the other depicts leaders of the Botswana Teachers Union (BTU) during their annual conference in Mochudi in 1968. Among them, I could recognize George Kgoroba who went on to become Minister of Education, Gogoa Kgomanyane who later became permanent secretary in the same ministry, Jimmy Moilwa who later lectured at the University of Botswana after a stint at Molefi Secondary School and Phillip Matoane who was the BTU president. The conference was officially opened at the community centre by Kgosi Linchwe II whose written speech is in the bundles. Sandy Grant told me that he had decided to offload the stuff to me because after his death which is “just around the corner”, there would be no one left in his family who would find them useful. “Why do you say you are about to die”, I asked hesitantly? His reply was that for him it was time. He paused for a while following which he said “I don’t know why the English do not have a word for the exercise I am doing now but, the Swiss have it”. He then looked up the sky as if he was trying to remember the Swiss word. There were more items he still wished to off-load. His utterances did not surprise me. I knew he had been in and out of hospital. What surprised me was the fact that he seemed to take it with easy. He was not afraid of death. He had prepared himself for it. After all who on earth would prevent death from coming if it was time for it.
Sandy Grant was one of two or three British nationals whose commitment to the welfare of the people of Mochudi was immeasurable. Besides him, I can only count on Professor Isaac Schapera, an anthropologist who has written more and more about Mochudi and her people as well as the Bangwato, Bangwaketse, Bakwena, Batlokwa, Balete, Batawana and Barolong. Today, Professor Schapera’s books are often required for problem solving in courts in Botswana and South Africa. The other one is Lady Naomi Mitchison who was an adopted mother of Kgosi Linchwe II. She too has written books and papers about her adopted son and his people. Now returning to Sandy Grant’s story, one can say that he too followed in the footsteps of his predecessors. In fact Sandy Grant came to Mochudi in the same year with Lady Mitchison. The difference is that Lady Mitchison had already adapted to the way of life of Bakgatla.
Following the arrival of Sandy, they formed a strong working partnership with Kgosi Linchwe. Both had a respectful and friendly relationship with Kgosi Linchwe. That relationship has never and will never be broken. Sandy had a specific task. He had been sent by Amnesty International to come to Mooched to supervise the construction of a community centre. The purpose of the centre was to be a transit home for South African refugees fleeing from persecution by the apartheid regime in their country. The idea of constructing a transit route for the refugees was conceived in London at a meeting attended by among other people, Martin Ennals who was the secretary general of Amnesty International and the National Council of Civil Liberties in London, Nana Mohomo of the Pan African Congress (PAC), Lady Mitchison and Kgosi Linchwe shortly before the latter completed his studies in England. Initially the centre was to be exclusively for refugees, but Kgosi Linchwe suggested the inclusion of a hall for the benefit of locals. When Sandy Grant arrived, he kick-started construction with the help of pupils engaged in bringing bricks from the brick molding venue to the construction site which was two kilometres away.
Indeed the centre served its purpose upon its completion. More refugees arrived. Among them, I recall former secretary general of the African National Congress (ANC) Alfred Nzo who then became South Africa’s first Black Minister for Foreign Affairs. The other one was David Sibeko of the Pan African Congress. He was later assassinated in Tanzania. That is about refugees. For the locals, it was a hive of activity during the weekends. During the day, the hall was utilized by a dancing club led by Deputy Kgosi Phulane Pilane. The weekend evenings were for fun. It was time for gumba gumba music where dancers would jive until shortly after midnight. Kgosi Linchwe occasionally joined dancers on the stage, but interestingly on horseback culminating with people fleeing through the door way and some through windows. He did that whenever he felt it was time for the show to end but was not ending. There was another thing which added fun to the show in the hall. Elder boys would break a steam bomb on to the floor to force the show to come to an end. The bomb produced an unbearable smell which lasted for hours. They did that to have the chance of grabbing the girls they wanted. There was also a tennis club of which Sandy was a member. Others were Ralf Moanakwena, Jimmy Moilwa, Maduo Maoto, Kgosi Linchwe, Dikeledi Moanakwena, Jonnie Monare, Felix Katse and Joe Mqhum.
With Sandy Grant at the helm, the centre introduced builders and farmers brigades followed by the establishment of Linchwe II Secondary School. The other major project which he championed for Mochudi is the establishment of the Phuthadikobo Museum which became the first community museum in the country. The idea was his. However, Kgosi Linchwe provided the old school building which had been abandoned by the district council because it did not have space for future expansion, it was difficult to build latrines and also because it had become evident that young children found the hill difficult to climb. With that, it became easier for Mochudi to have a museum which is today run by a board of trustee. It was Sandy who ran it until he retired. At some stage he ran it without getting a salary for two or three years. It is an interesting coincidence that Sandy had to die during the week of the International Museum Day. The Phuthadikobo Museum which he founded, celebrated the day by launching a website. A moment of silent was observed before the launch.
The museum and the centre are not the only ones where Sandy’s name keeps cropping up. For Mochudi to have a library, it was a combined effort of him and Lady Mitchison. For Makgophana ward east of Mochudi to have a better gravel road, it was Sandy Grant. For Mochudi to be counted as one of the first villages to have had a printing press, it was because of Sandy and Lady Mitchison. When the country established the independent electoral commission, Sandy lined up with its first board members.
In 1974, he contested Mochudi parliamentary seat as an independent candidate. Kgosi Linchwe gave him unlimited support. The Kgosi allowed him the use of a monkey as his symbol. His opponents protested arguing that using the monkey as a political symbol would give him an undue advantage because the monkey is a totem of Bakgatla. He then used the “Eye” as his symbol instead. Greek Ruele went on to win that election for the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP). Sandy Grant was workaholic. He combined his work with writing and photography. He was an author and a columnist. As an author, he has five books in his name. The sixth was to be published later this year. He therefore, left an unfinished work. Hopefully it was complete just waiting publication.
He was admired by many in the Kgatleng, Serowe and Kanye. In Mochudi in particular, the name Sandy became a household name. Several Bakgatla named their newly born babies after him in appreciation. At least I know five Sandys in Mochudi. He was simple. He was known by his first name only like Brazilian soccer stars. He was an amazing character. He did not own a cell phone. He did not drive fancy looking cars. He chose to be buried among the community at Oodi instead of at graveyards such as Phomolo. He chose to be kept at somewhat lowly rated mortuary instead of prestigious ones like Lean’s. His death has shocked many people. Charles Beaula said, “very very bad news. Sidney Pilane commented, “that man gave his life to Bakgatla”. Perhaps one can add and say not only to the Bakgatla. Throughout his life, Sandy travelled all over the country documenting all that was necessary. His camera lens reached every corner of villages, big and small. He took photographs of the elite and the ordinary. He intervened when important buildings were to be demolished to give way for modern ones.
In Kanye he fought hard for the stay of execution of the 1948 Kgosi Bathoen’s office and the tribal kgotla. In December 2010, Sandy wrote a paper titled “the campaign to save Kgosi Bathoen’s 1914 office and the historic kgotla in Kanye”. He discussed how he was disappointed during his visit to Kanye in November 2002 to see how much that office had been allowed to deteriorate. He argued that at some stage, “very crude attempts had been made to renovate it, its period decorative features had been removed, and it had been painted in woefully inappropriate colours and much of this paint was now peeling”. He assembled groups to put pressure on government to change its plans of demolishing historical buildings. The first group which visited Kanye was made of himself, Lenao Mosime from the Architect Association, Mike Mothibi, editor of the Mid-Week Sun, Members of Parliament Jerry Gabaake and Leach Tlhomelang. On the second visit, Sandy beefed up the group by including Dr Ramsay and Dr Walker of the University of Botswana.
