Mahalapye On My Mind

MAHALAPYE has been home to Ovaherero for the better part of the last one hundred years. I went for the wedding of my cousin Johannes Tjitjo and not for a funeral or a tombstone unveiling as has been customary and took time to reflect on my childhood in Mahalapye, alongside my brother Saul Tjamuaha, Katjaripo Ngozu, Esther Kanaimba, Jaukua Kavezeri, Uatuva Maharero, Rebookgama Uaungura, Salome and Kavanda Kauraisa.

Ovaherero settled at Tsau for a while, some proceeded east while some decided to stay on. In time those who moved on arrived in central Botswana and were received by Batswana traditional authorities while under the British flag. The story goes that when Samuel Maharero arrived in the Mahalapye area, his people, unsure of the behaviour of the authorities, played some tricks. They sent advance teams each time surrounding somebody who posed as Samuel and each time the Chief of the Batswana told them that it was not Samuel. In the end he arrived in a group, walking like one among them. The Batswana Chief told his close aide that the man who fought the war was the one walking on the extreme left of the group. The aide walked to Samuel and escorted him to the chief. This was to start a long life in exile for Maharero and his people.When I started remembering things, Kaijatura Maharero, Samuel’s grandson, was the Chief of the Ovaherero. Among his close associates were his brothers Jeremia Maharero, Germans and Wavaza Kaposambo. These were the times when Batswana were formalising their politics along the British parliamentary system. Political parties were fomenting, prominent of which were the Botswana Democratic Party led by Sir Seretse Khama and the Botswana People’s Party led by Dr. Philip Matante. To us kids it was fun to be at political rallies, admiring the different speakers. Among the politicians of the time two particularly come to mind. These were Dr Matante of the People’s Party and a firebrand from the Botswana Democratic Party called Lenyeletse Seretse. Matante was most eloquent and his best performance was when he was critical of Seretse Khama and Lenyeletse was non-abrasive and highly eloquent. He used to chair public meetings of his party and his best performance came when he fielded questions from the public.Seretse Khama would occasionally travel with his family and before and after the meetings we flocked to his cars and teased out his children Tebogo, Ian, Anthony and Tshekedi. Their mother was such a kind person and she mostly had some sweets and biscuits for children. This was reason all the more for us not to miss these meetings.During those days Ovaherero leadership implored their people to follow the party of Seretse Khama and the rationale was that, had it not been for the traditional leadership of Gammangwato, chances were that they would not have settled in Botswana. When Botswana gained autonomy from British rule in 1966, some of the Ovaherero young scholars the likes of Kaitire Ruhapo and Ben Maekopo who had taken advantage of Namibian liberation struggle education were later taken into Government service.Ovaherero in Botswana remained loyal to Botswana and have largely conducted themselves as Batswana. But they believed in the return to Namibia. After Namibia’s independence debates about repatriation culminated into law, that sent a sigh of relieve although not all moved, wanted to move or were able to move. This ambivalence prevails among large sectors of the community. Mahalapye has remained the cradle for Ovaherero’s plight for the motherland, sometimes close and sometimes distant…

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