Botswana: We Want to Kill Leopard for Our Kgosi - Mothibi

Mmegi/The Reporter (Gaborone)
14 September 2007

Gaborone

Bakgatla say they would prefer to have their new kgosi draped with a skin from a leopard killed by tribal hunters rather than one donated by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks.

Bakgatla regent Kgosi Mothibi Kgafela says he would love to see the new Kgosi, Kgafela Linchwe installed the traditional way - with a hunting party dispatched to kill a leopard for the installation of the king. " Ideally, we would like a situation whereby we do things according to tradition. His father, Kgosi kgolo Linchwe was draped with a leopard skin supplied by the regiment in 1963. We would love to hunt again because we still have regiments such as Magata, Mafiri, and Mathulwa, who can do the job quite well." However, Mothibi says by declaring his tribe's wish, he did not mean to break any government laws. " We are not going to fight with the government over this.

"We hope to let them know our position on the way we would wish to carry out this process. If possible we would love to do it according to our traditions." Asked whether the Kgatleng area still had leopards, Mothibi said: "Leopards are all over the country, it does not matter whether we have them in our area or not", he said. Bakgatla are looking forward to installing the new Kgosi kgolo after last month's death of Linchwe Kgafela, who ruled since 1963.

Ntlo Ya Dikgosi Deputy Chairman and Barolong Kgosi, Kgosi Lotlamoreng II however says he found nothing strange with the leopard skin from the Department of Wildlife. If you ask me whether being draped with the leopard skin from the Department of Wildlife still gives me the kingly pride, I would say yes. Being draped with the leopard skin alone is a great honour, because no one else except a Kgosi kgolo is worthy of that. So I see no difference between the skin acquired by a hunting party and the one sourced from the Department of Wildlife," he said.

In fact the Barolong Kgosi feels that the decision to let the department issue the leopard skin is much better. " In the olden days people would get killed because that animal kills. The hunting party idea can end in catastrophe.

Often it is made up of people who cannot even hunt a hare like me. Also I think it is a good idea to get the leopard skin through the Wildlife Department because nowadays leopards are rare to find. But Wildlife people know where to find these animals", Lotlamoreng said. Should the new Bakgatla chief have his wish to have his regiments hunt for the leopard for his installation, he would be the second Kgosi in over a decade after Kgosi Tawana Moremi of Batawana in 1995.

When the then youthful Batawana Kgosi was installed, a hunting party made up of tribesmen killed a lion whose skin was used to install the new king by Vice President Ian Khama Seretse Khama.

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