Kgosi Mosadi Seboko feels disrespected because she is a woman
Bogosi baga Malete in Ramotswa believes that men who identify themselves as Maphalaola a Pitse Cultural Association are going against them because there is a fight for power.
Deputy Paramount Chief Kgosi Tsimane Mokgosi said they have long heard of people from Mantlhaagodimo ward who feel that they should take over the initiation school.
He explained that initiation school for Balete was halted in 1981 and the last regiment to be initiated was called Mafitlhakgosi because the ceremony happened on the year that the first president of Botswana Seretse Khama died in 1981.
In 1982, the women went for Bojale and their regiment also carried the 1981 name of Mafitlhakgosi.
Since then, the initiation ceremonies were halted for more than 30 years and Balete resurrected them in 2012 with the regiment known as Matsosa Ngwao denoting a resurrection of culture. The 2013 female regiment also carried the 2012 Bogwera name.
In 2014, they had Makatamotse and in 2016 Mabopachaba.
According to Mokgosi, in 2017, they did not host any ceremonies because there were a lot of challenges they were facing as a tribe.
Among these being deaths of royals such as Kgosi Ikaneng Mokgosi and Mohumagadi Motlalepula Mokgosi who was the mother of the tribe’s paramount chief, Kgosi Mosadi Seboko.
As per culture, it was only right that they pause all activities to mourn. In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic hit hard hence they could not proceed with initiation school.
After the pandemic was stabilised, Balete got very busy with the battle over Forest Hill Farm in which government wanted to take their land away from them.
It was only this year (2023) that the tribe led by Kgosi Seboko managed to wrestle the land from the claws of Bamalete Land Board.
“All those are reasons why we could not have initiation school, but they - Maphalaola a Pitse Cultural Association - disobeyed orders and went there,” Mokgosi said.
He said it was also a few years back that Bogosi saw signs that as Balete, they were divided - there were some complaining that they should be given first preference when it comes to Bogwera and Bojale.
When the Maphalaola a Pitse group returned home from Bogwera this past weekend, they had written a letter to Bogosi, asking that they welcome them home and do the honours of naming the 2023 regiment.
“Kgosi Seboko turned down the invite. They had gone out there to do what they did, with no proper arrangements made to allow Bogosi to do their part and there was no how they could be welcomed home under such circumstances,” he said.
He added that during a meeting they conducted a few days before arrival of the men in the village, Kgosi Seboko told morafe that she had suspicions that she is being disrespected and disobeyed because some feel she is a woman and cannot be Kgosi.
Deputy Paramount Chief Kgosi Tsimane Mokgosi said they have long heard of people from Mantlhaagodimo ward who feel that they should take over the initiation school.
He explained that initiation school for Balete was halted in 1981 and the last regiment to be initiated was called Mafitlhakgosi because the ceremony happened on the year that the first president of Botswana Seretse Khama died in 1981.
In 1982, the women went for Bojale and their regiment also carried the 1981 name of Mafitlhakgosi.
Since then, the initiation ceremonies were halted for more than 30 years and Balete resurrected them in 2012 with the regiment known as Matsosa Ngwao denoting a resurrection of culture. The 2013 female regiment also carried the 2012 Bogwera name.
In 2014, they had Makatamotse and in 2016 Mabopachaba.
According to Mokgosi, in 2017, they did not host any ceremonies because there were a lot of challenges they were facing as a tribe.
Among these being deaths of royals such as Kgosi Ikaneng Mokgosi and Mohumagadi Motlalepula Mokgosi who was the mother of the tribe’s paramount chief, Kgosi Mosadi Seboko.
As per culture, it was only right that they pause all activities to mourn. In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic hit hard hence they could not proceed with initiation school.
After the pandemic was stabilised, Balete got very busy with the battle over Forest Hill Farm in which government wanted to take their land away from them.
It was only this year (2023) that the tribe led by Kgosi Seboko managed to wrestle the land from the claws of Bamalete Land Board.
“All those are reasons why we could not have initiation school, but they - Maphalaola a Pitse Cultural Association - disobeyed orders and went there,” Mokgosi said.
He said it was also a few years back that Bogosi saw signs that as Balete, they were divided - there were some complaining that they should be given first preference when it comes to Bogwera and Bojale.
When the Maphalaola a Pitse group returned home from Bogwera this past weekend, they had written a letter to Bogosi, asking that they welcome them home and do the honours of naming the 2023 regiment.
“Kgosi Seboko turned down the invite. They had gone out there to do what they did, with no proper arrangements made to allow Bogosi to do their part and there was no how they could be welcomed home under such circumstances,” he said.
He added that during a meeting they conducted a few days before arrival of the men in the village, Kgosi Seboko told morafe that she had suspicions that she is being disrespected and disobeyed because some feel she is a woman and cannot be Kgosi.
