Kgari Sechele II

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Kgari Sechele II
Born1904 (1904)
Died(1962-09-19)19 September 1962
TitleKgosi of the Bakwena
Term1931–1962
PredecessorSebele II
SuccessorNeale Sechele
Parent

Kgari Kealeboga Sechele II (1904–19 September 1962) was a kgosi of the Kwena tribe in the Bechuanaland Protectorate (modern day Botswana) from 1931 until his death in 1962. He was appointed to the position by the British colonial administration after it deposed his elder brother Sebele II, and his rule was contested by the tribe. He was succeeded by his younger brother Neale Sechele.

Early life[edit]

Kgari Kealeboga Sechele[1] was born in 1904.[2] As a child, Kgari was taken under the guardianship of his uncle Moitelasilo who had taught him about tribal politics at the kgotla.[3] Kgari was seen fondly by the British colonial administration, and they considered him a better candidate than his brothers to be kgosi.[3][4] Assistant Resident Commissioner A. G. Stigand acquired a bursary for Kgari in 1929,[4] and Kgari went to South Africa to study at St. Mathews College.[3]

Kgosi of the Bakwena[edit]

Appointment[edit]

In 1931, while Kgari was in South Africa, the colonial administration deposed his brother Sebele II as kgosi of the Bakwena.[5] Kgari's older brother Mosarwa was not interested in becoming kgosi, and the administration considered him too irresponsible to rule, so Kgari was chosen by the administration to be the next kgosi.[3] He was installed in June 1931.[a] The administration crafted a public narrative that he was chosen by the populace.[1] During the ceremony anointing him kgosi, the audience stood. This may have been in acceptance or in dissent of Kgari's rule; the administration insisted that it was a positive gesture. There was also an incident in which a village elder, Kgosimang, demanded the return to Sebele II to cheers from the crowd, despite a rule against mentioning Sebele.[6] The appointment saw protest from the Bakwena and from other Tswana dikgosi.[1]

The administration decided that Kgari should be kgosi instead of merely a regent or an acting ruler, even though he was not the next in line.[3][7] A ceremony was held to name him kgosi on 1 September 1931.[7] During the ceremony, his uncles draped a leopard skin upon his shoulders—an honour typically reserved only for the heir—which offended the village and increased backlash against his rule.[3]

Reign[edit]

Throughout the 1930s, the Bakwena held no allegiance to Kgari, and his orders were often disregarded.[8][9] His refusal to address Sebele's exile solidified the opposition against him.[6] As he did not have popular support, Kgari became a strict ruler to consolidate his power.[1] He appointed his supporters as advisors after becoming kgosi, but they reduced in number over the following years until Kgari ruled unilaterally.[10] Teachers, religious figures, local leaders, and anyone else who opposed him lost their positions and were sometimes fined or jailed.[9] To increase Kgari's authority over the tribe, Charles Rey, the resident commissioner, used funds from the Bakwena Tribal Fund to build a home for Kgari between the two Kwena factions around Molepolole: the faction in Ntsweng and the faction in Borakalalo. He hoped it would cause them to merge around Kgari, but it only left Kgari isolated from both factions.[11]

On 6 March 1933, the people of Molepolole submitted the Great Petition to protest the administration's appointment of Kgari, which was signed by almost every family head, totalling over 1,400 signatures.[9][b] This was an unprecedented rebuttal, with petitions against Sebele II never going above 25 signatures.[9]

When Kgari moved the Bakwena capital from Ntsweng in the late 1930s,[c] he called upon the colonial police to move the Kwena people by force.[10][12] Kgari was loyal to the administration, as he was dependent on it to stay in power.[10][2] Resident Commissioner Rey felt that Kgari's frequent requests for the administration to solve problems further weakened him in the eyes of the people.[13] Kgari also faced accusations of sexual misconduct, including the rape of Angelina Mmopi in 1936 and the seduction of Eurice Kraai in 1940.[14] When Sebele II offered to formally abdicate in exchange for an end to his exile in 1938, Kgari refused, fearing what Sebele's presence would do to his authority.[12]

Kgari became more popular at the end of the 1930s, especially after the death of Sebele II in 1939, which ended the most serious challenge to Kgari's legitimacy. He gained further approval in 1941 when he joined the African Auxiliary Pioneer Corps to fight in World War II, fulfilling a tradition of the kgosi going to war to prove his strength. Stories circulated about his performance in combat, and he became a war hero among the Tswana peoples. One such story tells that an enemy squad bombarded a tent he was sleeping in, only for him to walk away unscathed.[8] Kgari attempted to have his headmen call him home to demonstrate that his rule was essential for the tribe, but this did not occur and he served in the war until 1945.[15] Even though opposition against his rule was reduced, he continued to rule through authoritarianism.[16][2] Kgari attended the coronation of Elizabeth II in 1952, where he represented the Bechuanaland Protectorate. He engaged in a rare dispute with the colonial administration the same year as he sheltered refugees from South Africa.[2]

Kgari oversaw construction of several major buildings throughout his reign, including a church hospital in 1931, the Bakwena National School in 1938, a council chamber in 1945, and a secondary school in 1959. He also saw to the renovation of the London Missionary Society church in 1957.[17] Conversely, had the village in Ntsweng almost entirely destroyed, leaving only the Bakwena National Office building standing.[12]

Death and succession[edit]

In 1949, Kgari indicated that he may retire, suggesting that he be succeeded by his nephew Bonewamang Padi Sechele, but the tribe insisted that he should not. He floated retirement and succession to Bonewamang a second time in 1954 when he was having marital problems.[17] He considered retirement more seriously in 1962 as formal political parties began to develop within the Bechuanaland Protectorate. He travelled to Swaziland, where he was said to be purchasing a farm. It was here that Kgari died suddenly on 19 September 1962.[12]

Throughout Kgari's life, he speculated that he would be the last kgosi of the Bakwena.[2][18] His death triggered a succession crisis, as he had no children. Claims were made by two members of the family: Moruakgomo, who was Sebele II's son, and Bonewamang, who was the son of Sebele II and Kgari's older brother Padi.[17][18] Kenalekgosi served as acting kgosi while the dispute was resolved. The court determined that Kgari's younger brother Neale Sechle would become kgosi despite not being in the immediate line of succession, and he was installed in 1963.[19]

Explanatory notes[edit]

  1. ^ Reported as 5 June[3] or 11 June[6]
  2. ^ Reported as 1,405[1] or 1,407[9] signatures
  3. ^ Reported as 1936[10] or 1937[12]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e Mbuya 1999, p. 68.
  2. ^ a b c d e Morton & Ramsay 2018, Kgari Sechele II (1904–1962).
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Mbuya 1999, p. 67.
  4. ^ a b Ramsay 1996, p. 69.
  5. ^ Mbuya 1999, pp. 66–67.
  6. ^ a b c Ramsay 1996, p. 70.
  7. ^ a b Ramsay 1996, p. 73.
  8. ^ a b Mbuya 1999, p. 70.
  9. ^ a b c d e Ramsay 1996, p. 74.
  10. ^ a b c d Mbuya 1999, p. 69.
  11. ^ Ramsay 1996, pp. 73–74.
  12. ^ a b c d e Ramsay 1996, p. 76.
  13. ^ Mbuya 1999, pp. 69–70.
  14. ^ Mbuya 1999, p. 66.
  15. ^ Mbuya 1999, pp. 70–71.
  16. ^ Ramsay 1996, p. 77.
  17. ^ a b c Mbuya 1999, p. 71.
  18. ^ a b Ramsay 1996, p. 78.
  19. ^ Mbuya 1999, p. 72.

Works cited[edit]

  • Mbuya, Titus (1999). "Legitimacy and Succession in Tswana States: The Case of BaKwena, 1930-1963". Pula: Botswana Journal of African Studies. 13 (1): 61–76.
  • Morton, Barry; Ramsay, Jeff (2018). Historical Dictionary of Botswana (5th ed.). Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-5381-1133-8.
  • Ramsay, Jeff (1996). "The Fall and Decline of the Bakwena Monarchy". Botswana Notes and Records. 28: 65–86.
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