Kgosi Sekai rallies Bakgatla to unite

Kgosi Sekai of Bakgatla has said he fears the tribe will split if it does not act promptly to support him in restoring peace and order among Bakgatla. Kgosi Sekai made the call during a Kgotla meeting held at Mochudi main Kgotla this past weekend. “As tribal leaders, it is our duty to restore peace and order. We have a problem where women come to Kgotla to seek assistance wearing trousers, which is against our tradition,” he said.

Sekai stated that the challenges that the royal family and Bakgatla faced after Kgosi Kgolo Kgafela went on exile to Moruleng, South Africa following a legal dispute with government, ended up breaking families and churches. A major bone of contention was that Kgafela II had appointed Sekai to be in charge of Bakgatla tribal administration in his absence, a decision that was turned down by government on the basis that he too was facing charges of illegally flogging some of the tribesmen.

Kgosi Sekai told Morafe that he is happy that storm is now over because the tribe’s tension with government has since been resolved with his appointment as Mothusa Kgosi. “I have to thank those who stood by our side during our struggle. We are happy that you even supported and respected Kgosi Kgolo Kgafela’s decision on who should take the reins in his absence.

“There were those who did not support this and went around telling people that our chieftaincy is diminishing. I am not going to humiliate anyone by revealing names, but I know you,” he charged. He stated that for the past seven (7) years bad things have happened and there were those who celebrated. He said the time is now for the tribe to introspect and find where they stand. “History will judge us and our children would ask us these questions. So it is up to each one of us to have answers when those questions come from our children as to what we did when the going was tough. We have to sort out all the mess as early as possible. Otherwise I fear for a split of the tribe if we do not act now,” he said.