A decade earlier, Isaac Schapera of the University of Cape Town had been commissioned by the British High Commissioner’s Office in Cape Town to undertake a study on the customs and cultural practices of the different tribes of Bechuanaland. The result of this undertaking has been a book titled; A Handbook of Tswana Law and Custom. In this book, one particular custom that the author discusses at length is the conduct of marriage in a Setswana society. Here we will make use of Schapera’s study in arguing why Seretse disqualified himself from being chief by going wayward with his marriage. In fact Schapera’s research findings have in the past been used as evidence in courts of law when there were any disputes regarding succession of bogosi. Equally, Schapera’s works have found their way into academia. Several lecturers have recognized his sterling work and so many academic books have quoted him on the issues he covered during his research.
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