Tonota made history last weekend when she celebrated her 100th year of existence not only with pomp but also with one of the greatest re-unions the southern region of the African continent has ever witnessed. It all started on the preceding Thursday when the descendants of one of Tonota people’s ancestors, Moatshe-a-Kgoloke (himself a descendant of the legendary King Motebele), arrived from Letlhakane and Mosu in the Boteti area.
They were Kgosi Leboletswe Tawana and Kgosi Sealammu Tsapo (respectively) who were able to attend the Tonota Primary School centenary celebrations on Friday morning. Next to arrive were a couple who were descendants of Motebejana (younger son of the ancestral Queen Mohurutshe who is said to have defeated his elder brother, Motebele, possibly in the mid or late 1600s). The couple had driven over 1 000 kilo metres all the way from Namibia to Tonota. These were Mr and Mrs Khutsahalo Tibinyane Keakopa.
By Friday evening more and more of Motebejana’s descendants, led by the celebrations’ guest of honour, Kgosi Kebinatshwene Mosielele of Manyana had arrived from Manyana, Mmakgodi and neighbouring South Africa (with a couple having driven from as far as Northern Cape) and were rubbing shoulders with Kgosi Motebele’s descendants at Molebatsi kgotla in one of the happiest and most awesome get-togethers Tonota and Botswana has ever experienced. With the moon shining bright, a huge bonfire, and the usual crescent-shaped structure of the kgotlafacing a beautifully reconstructed blue-gum poled cattle kraal – which houses (inter alia) Tonota’s founder, Kgosi Rauwe Sekoko’s remains – all adding to the magic of the historic moment, Bahurutshe boo-Motebejana were introduced to Ba[k]hurutshe boo-Motebele. The latter were led by Kgosi Ramosinyi Radipitse who was accompanied by various Magosi, village elders from most of Tonota dikgotla, and ordinary villagers while Bahurutshe boo-Motebejana, led by Kgosi Mosielele included the following Magosi: Kgosi Pule Bareki from Tsowe, RSA; Kgosi Mogakolodi Masibi from Disaneng, RSA; Kgosi Victor Suping from Supingstaad, RSA; Kgosi Rev James Sethebe II from goo-Sethebe I; Deputy Kgosi Robert Mangope of Manyana; and Deputy Kgosi States Thobega of Mmankgodi. Bahurutshe boo-Motebejana were also accompanied by their people who included Mr Moshe Lekaukau, Regional Coordinator of the ‘Ipatlisise o Ikitse’ initiative.
The evening was rendered even more enjoyable by performances from ‘Thokgamo Choir’ and ‘Bagaka ba Koma’. More spice was added when former Cabinet Minister, Rre Kebatlamang Morake occasionally gave powerful renditions of Kgosi Rauwe Sekoko’s praise poems. The celebrations continued the following day hosted by Tonota Primary School (which simultaneously celebrated its centenary) with Kgosi Kebinatshwene Mosielele reminding the audience how the Tonota centenary celebrations theme, ‘Popagano ke Phenyo’, captured the symbolic significance of “this emotional meeting of brothers and sisters who for centuries had not known that they were actually one.” “You have reason to celebrate after traversing this southern [part of] the continent from the Transvaal for many years to a final destination of Tonota”, Kgosi Mosielele told Ba[k]hurutshe baTonota adding that it would be remiss of him “not to thank Bangwato who have been your very good host and have shared everything with you [knowing] that you are both the descendants of Kgosi Malope II”.
Kgosi Mosielele also briefed Tonota people about the ‘Ipatlisise o Ikitse’ cross-border initiative whose main objective was for Bahurutshe to know each other and to network and exchange information on cultural issues like the creation of family trees which he said called for a conducting of a lot of research. He told the audience that meetings had already been held in Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa on an annual rotational basis. “We have had significant success in building a comprehensive genealogy from our ancestor Phofhu to present day generations. However, we need to do more and engage more brains, particularly [our youths], to write a comprehensive history of Bahurutshe because information [on this history] is scattered all over a number of publications”, Kgosi Mosielele said. He added that “research on cultural issues is in accordance with the United Nations Education and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO’s) Convention for the Safe Guarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage which was adopted on 17 October 2013”. Kgosi Mosielele ended his official duty in Tonota by unveiling a couple of projects that had been undertaken by the Maemelwa and Malwelamotse mephato at Molebatsi kgotla. Bahurutshe boo-Motebejana and Ba[k]hurutshe boo-Motebele share Queen Mohurutshe as their ancestor. Mohurutshe herself is reported to have been the offspring of Kgosi Malope’s senior wife.
Her younger siblings (from a wife reportedly junior to Mohurutshe’s mother) were Kwena, Ngwato, and Ngwaketse who were all male as opposed to Mohurutshe. Other speakers at the Tonota centenary celebrations included Tonota Kgosi, Ramosinyi Radipitse who welcomed the guests; Deputy District Commissioner, Mr Khumo Keeng who introduced the guests; Tonota Centenary Celebrations Chairperson, Mr Ratshimo Ramahobo who explained the objective of the celebrations; former Cabinet Minister, K. P. Morake who told the audience about the history of Tonota Primary School; Mr Patrick Balopi who stood for the Tonota Centenary Celebrations Patron, Mr Kenneth Matambo; Tonota Development Support Group Chairperson, Mr Seroro Khoza Ramahobo; the outgoing Member of Parliament for Tonota South, Mr Pono Moatlhodi who gave a vote of thanks; and Researcher S. M. Tumedi who gave an outline of Tonota history. The conspicuous presence of Bazezuru from Maseka kgotla, clad in their pure white regalia at the celebrations, served as a constant reminder that Tonota, like most communities in other villages, is characterised by a diverse ethnic composition. Besides Ba[k]hurutshe and Bazezuru (as already mentioned) Tonota, hosts Bakalaka, Bangwato, Barotse, Babirwa, Basarwa, Batebele, among others.
