The Kgotla

The kgotla is still the center of Serowe life. It is identified by a group of posts in an arc placed in an open area of the ward or village. Tlhagiso is the Leader of Arbitration, a kind of sub chief, of this ward. The bottom left is this ward's kgotla. People of the ward will gather in a circle if they have a dispute and he will attempt to arbitrate between them. Decisions are not usually recorded. Anyone who wants to be heard can have a voice.

If the dispute can not be resolved, then it would be referred to the chief in consultations with the senior members of the tribe in the main kgotla (bottom right) in the center of Serowe. I remember it from my first time here. What is new is the thatched kgotla beside it. As you can see from the inset, it has chairs and tables and nowadays decisions are recorded. Serious tribal matters are also decided. It was here in 1949, with the participation of 8000 people, that the showdown occurred over who should be chief. Seretse Khama -- the man who had married a white woman, violating the custom that a chief’s marriage should be approved by the tribe -- challenged his uncle Tshekedi Khama, the regent. After days of discussion the vast majority opted for the rightful heir over the violation of the marriage custom. The British were not happy with this result (because white South Africa was not happy) and banished both leaders. Seretse later returned as the country’s first president, having renounced the chieftanship for himself and his heirs.

Beside the kgotla are the tribal headquarters which I also remember since it was the only building in Serowe with a second story. It stood alone and did not have the outbuildings in front. Nor, of course, were there telephones! In 1968 you made a call by booking a time, usually the next day. Then at that time you waited until the operator contacted you when a line became available. In my year here I made one call, at Christmas. Now cell phones and land lines are every where. In fact, when 10-year old Khandu asked to see my cell phone he immediately said, “Ah, you can take pictures.” If one does not have a cell phone, one can go to one of the many tables around the mall where people who own cell phones will let you use theirs for a very modest fee. There are no phone bills here. You buy cards and add minutes to your land line when appropriate. This means you can make a call from anyone’s house using your code and your minutes.