Balete prepare historic gala to celebrate Kgosi Mosadi's legacy and land victory

Balete will host a landmark celebration on June 21, 2025, honoring their tribe’s leader Kgosi Mosadi Seboko’s 75th birthday, alongside the centenary of their ownership of Farm Forest Hill, a historic site at the heart of a decades-long legal battle. The event, themed “Heritage, Honor, and Triumph,” will unite community members, dignitaries, and supporters to commemorate two milestones: a leader’s enduring legacy and a tribe’s hard-won land rights.Balete’s Deputy Chief Kgosi Tsimane Mokgosi told The Midweek Sun that President Duma Boko will grace the event as one of the guest speaker, with the celebration at Farm Forest Hill expected to feature traditional performances, speeches, and a reflection on the tribe’s journey. Ticket tiers, according to Kgosi Tsimane, range from Royalness at P25,000, to Tlatlana (Bronze) at P500, to ensure inclusivity, with proceeds expected to fund fund youth and heritage projects, as well as Bamalete Lutheran Hospital among others. Other tickets are VVIP Nare for P10 000; VIP Sesigo for P5 000; Mmeto (Gold) for P2 500 and Lekaya (Silver) for P1 500.By merging her birthday with the land’s centenary and court battle victory, the Balete seek to highlight how Kgosi Mosadi’s leadership safeguarded their heritage, Kgosi Tsimane shared. As she stated in her famous words of 2022: “This land was bought with our blood and sweat. We will not surrender it without compensation.” Born on June 7, 1950, Kgosi Mosadi Seboko shattered Botswana’s patriarchal norms in 2002 when she became the nation’s first female paramount chief.Her ascension followed a protracted struggle against male-dominated traditions that initially barred her from assuming leadership after her father’s death in 1966. Supported by her mother and sisters, she claimed her rightful role in 2002, revolutionizing the Balete’s governance and challenging gender barriers in the kgotla. Her leadership has been marked by resilience. From addressing youth delinquency to reviving cultural practices like initiation ceremonies, Kgosi Mosadi has balanced tradition with progressive change.Yet, her most defining battle has been defending the Balete’s ancestral land – Farm Forest Hill. In June 1925, the Balete tribe pooled resources, livestock and money, to purchase the 3000-hectare Farm Forest Hill for grazing, and exactly 100 years later, the tribe found it fitting to celebrate the milestone as it also coincides with the month their current leader was born. Post-independence legislation, including the Tribal Land Act of 1970, sought to transfer control this piece of land to the Malete Land Board, sparking a legal war that only ended in 2023 when the Court of Appeal declared government’s actions unconstitutional and a violation of property rights .

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Balete prepare historic gala to celebrate Kgosi Mosadi's legacy and land victory