The day Kgosi Tawana Moremi was insulted

Forget about McD. Peloetletse, he is a cuddly puppy compared to the BDP man whose speech is characterized by a sudden gush of fury and vitriol. The ANC had its attack pit-bull in the pernicious Malema. The BCP has the vicious Phagenyana Phage. The BDP has the 32-year-old Alec Seametso – a Mongwaketse man from Ntsweng who is its national campaign manager. He came into prominence lately when his pictures taken on a BDF plane during a trip to a BDP politically rally in Ghanzi flooded social media. His most unflattering image showed him with his right hand on his bulging belly and in the words of one Wynter Mmolotsi “e ka re o a sellega”. Below I transcribe the speech delivered by Seametso. The speech has been discussed extensively both on private radio stations and on social media. It would be too limiting to see it as a speech that attacks Tawana Moremi, the politician. The speech attacks and lampoons, Kgosi Tawana Moremi of the Batawana. Not only is Kgosi Tawana attacked, Hon. Rammidi is dismissed contemptuously as sekadikadi and mosuntubaki, Duma Boko is called mothwana while Kgosi Bathoen II of the Bangwaketse is accused of go latlhega and go gogela batho mo lefifing. This is the all time low to which the country has descended before the October elections. Here is the speech:

“Bagaetsho, bogosi ga se jone; gore motho ke kgosi; mme e le kgosi e e senyegileng e e sa kgalemelweng; e le kgosi e e senang botho; e le kgosi e e lonyatso. Rona ka Setswana re itse gore kgosi ke kgosi ka batho; mme e bile gape e anyang e leletse e ruta e le mo maleng (sic). Tawana fa e ne e le kgosi o ko a tlotla Kgosi Khama, a sa tsamaye a mo roga ka fa tlase ga ditlhare; le rona re ne re se na go tla go mo roga. O ko a tlotla Kgosi Khama; a sa tsamaye a rwele bo Duma Boko; ba bathwana fela ba Modimo; a ba lere mono gore batle go roga Kgosikgolo ya Bangwato. Jaanong le ene, se monate se ingwaelwa, ke tlile go mo ngwaa gompieno. Ba tsamaya mo; motho o roga batho, fa ba ya go ikuela; nyena lo rwala mabogo mo tlhogong: “Mapodisi itshwareleng kgosi”. O diga ngwana mo loring: fa ngwana a ya go ikuela; nyena lo rwala mabogo mo tlhogong: “Mapodisi, kgalemelang kgosi.” O tsaya CEDA, o ya go nwa majalwa ka madi a teng a tlhagela mo stadium, a sa duele rente gore le rona re e tsenye. Fa go tsewa diteraka ga twe lwa re “Itshwareleng kgosi.” Re tlaa itshwarela kgosi go ya go fitlhelela leng? Tlogelang go senya kgosi e ya nyena e. Kgosi e ya nyena ga e a senyega e bolosokane, o senyegetse matlakaleng ka ntata ya nyena; lo a go bodiwa dipotso kwa legodimong, gore nyena tlhogo ya ngwana yo, rraetsho kgosikgolo a robale ka kagiso, o a go lo bona ka leitlho le le maswe Matawana. Lo mo senyeditse ngwana; lo paletswe ke go kgalemela ngwana. Ngwana o tebelegane; jaanong e bile gompieno o senyegela matlakaleng. Go itse go na le nyena; mme lo ka ikopa maitshwarelo mo nakong e. Le ene kgosikgolo Letsholathebe o ka lo sokololela dirope, a se ka a lo sokela dirope fa lo ka tima Tawana tlhopho gore a ikgakologelwe; sedidi le letimona la sepolotiki le le mo go ene, di ele a simolole kwa VDC, re tlaa mo dira Headman of Arbitration ka gore Boatile o ya go tsaya setilo. Kgosikgolo ya Batawana MC e bidiwa go twe Boatile; O atile morafe wa Batawana. Mmaagwe ke ole o fale ole. Ga a fale ka phoso. O fale ka gore o a itlotla. O tlotla serite sa gagwe. O tlotla serite sa Batawana. Ga a ka ke a re motho a senyegile, a tsewa ke letimona; a gorogetse mo Tomokoraga; mo phathing e e nang le…a bo a tlho a tabogile, a lelekile mogatla wa lesie, e le molwetse wa letimona. Tsholetsa Domkrag! O a bona gore ke itse ditso monna! Jaanong, lo tshwanetse lona madomkrag lwa tlogela go tshosediwa. Ke fa ke le sekao. Ke tshotswe kwa Kgosing kwa Ntsweng. Mme e rile go goleng ga me ka tsaya tshwetso ya gore kgosi o latlhegile o re gogela mo lefifing ka Puo Phaa. Kgosi ya rona e ne e re fa go tla ditlhopho a bo a tsaya mmu jaana, Kgosi Bathoen, a bo a o tsholetsa jaana a bo a re botsa gore “Bangwaketse mmu o ke wa ga mang?” E be go twe ke wa ga Kgosi Bathoen. A be a re le itse gore le a go tlhopha jang kwa ditlhophong. Re ne ra mmakisa ra tsenya Rammidi, ene yo wa mosuntubaki, le ene ka na ke tshaba le go mo umakwa o tshwana le Tawana, ke sekadikadi fela le ene jaana.”

Obviously the story of Bathoen is either a product of Seametso’s fertile imagination or perhaps it is a tale he heard from his elders in Kanye because when Bathoen II died in October 1990, Seametso was only 8 years of age. Additionally, Bathoen II retired from politics in 1985 when Seametso was only 3 years of age. Bathoen then served as President of the Customary court until his death in 1990. Second, Seametso falsely suggests that Kentse Rammidi took over from Kgosi Bathoen II. This is inaccurate since Rammidi beat BNF’s Calvin Batsile at the elections. It is important to observe that Seametso is a loquacious specially elected councilor, who came into council at the recommendation of Nchi Rammidi, the very one he insults and calls sekadikadi and mosuntubaki. There is a Setswana proverb which captures this: ka tlhagolela lookana, ya re lo gola lwa ntlhaba. My only problem with the speech is that dikgosi are attacked and not politicians. I believe dikgosi who become politicians, should be attacked in their political capacities and not as dikgosi. The problem is that when you attack a kgosi you are indirectly attacking the morafe that he leads. It is therefore no wonder that the Batawana are angry with not only Alec Seametso, but with the BDP.