Sechele II Kealeboga Sebele (–1918) was ''

kgosi A (; ) is the title for a hereditary leader of a Batswana and South Africa peoples tribe. Usage The word "kgosi" is a Setswana term for "king" or "chief". Various affixes can be added to the word to change its meaning: adding the prefix ''di- ...

'' of the

Kwena tribe The Bakwena or Bakoena ("those who venerate the crocodile") are a large Sotho-Tswana clan in Southern Africa of the southern Bantu group. They can be found in different parts of southern Africa such as Lesotho, Botswana, South Africa and Eswatini. ...

in the

Bechuanaland Protectorate The Bechuanaland Protectorate () was a British protectorate, protectorate established on 31 March 1885 in Southern Africa by the United Kingdom. It became the Botswana, Republic of Botswana on 30 September 1966. History Scottish missionary ...

(modern day Botswana) from 1911 until his death in 1918. His rule was marked by a split within the tribe as opposing '' dikgosana'' led by his uncles rejected his authority. Sechele II was succeeded by his son

Sebele II Kelebantse Sebele a Sechele II (1892 – 2 October 1939), known as Sebele II, was chief, or ''kgosi'', of the Kwena tribe in the Bechuanaland Protectorate (present-day Botswana) from 1918 to 1931. He succeeded his father, Sechele II. Through h ...

Life

Sechele II Kealeboga Sebele was born , and he became ''

'' of the

in 1911. Sechele II's reign was plagued by an opposition group of '' dikgosana'' led by his uncles Kebohula and Moiteelasilo. The group felt that he was promoting too many advisors who did not have seniority in the tribe, and they opposed his endorsement of un-Christian traditional practices such as

polygamy Polygamy (from Late Greek , "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marriage, marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, it is called polygyny. When a woman is married to more tha ...

and ''

bogwera ''Bogwera'' and ''bojale'' are the rites of passage for children of the Tswana people that mark their coming of age. Boys practice ''bogwera'' and girls practice ''bojale'', and they were historically the most important rites of passage of the Tswa ...

''. This group was supported by the

London Missionary Society The London Missionary Society was an interdenominational evangelical missionary society formed in England in 1795 at the instigation of Welsh Congregationalist minister Edward Williams. It was largely Reformed tradition, Reformed in outlook, with ...

, whom Sechele II had alienated after he allowed

Anglicanism Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

to be practiced by the Bakwena in 1912. A schism occurred in 1915, when Sechele II moved the tribe's ''

kgotla A ''kgotla'' (English pronunciation or ) is a public meeting, community council, or traditional law court of a Botswana village and in rural Lesotho and South Africa. It is usually headed by the village chief or headman, and community decision ...

'' from

Borakalalo The Borakalalo Game Reserve is a protected area in North West Province, South Africa. It is located about 80 kilometres NNW of Pretoria and 60 km north of Brits. This majestic Nature reserve has unfortunately been hampered by numerous safety probl ...

Ntsweng The Dithubaruba Cultural Festival is one of the national events celebrated in Botswana and is also marked in the Botswana Calendar of Events. It aims to promote Kweneng cultural heritage and create leisure time for the community. Background Th ...

, reversing a move by his predecessor. The opposition remained in Borakalalo, effectively splitting the tribe. The schism was not remedied until 1937, when the British forced them to merge and destroyed much of Ntsweng. Sechele II had a wife, Lena Rauwe, who oversaw the introduction of Anglicanism in

Kweneng Kweneng is a village in Kweneng District of Botswana Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory part of the ...

. He also married Gagoumakwe Kgari Sechele, an activist who continued to hold political influence after Sechele II's death. Sechele II's secretary as ''kgosi'' was Richard Sidzumo. Sechele II allowed the BaKwena Tribal Council to form in May 1916, but he limited its power by promoting his own allies. Baruti Kgosidintsi, a major opposition figure against

Sebele I Sebele I was a chief (''kgosi'') of the Kwena —a major Tswana tribe (''morafe'') in modern-day Botswana— who ruled from 1892 until his death in 1911. During his lifetime, he resisted the 1885 Bechuanaland Protectorate"Sechele’s tri ...

and Sechele II, was found guilty of impregnating Sechele II's ex-wife in 1916.

Death and legacy

Sechele II died in 1918. He was then succeeded on 12 February 1918 by his son

, after the latter's return from serving in the

South African Native Labour Corps The South African Native Labour Corps (SANLC) was a force of workers formed in 1916 in response to a British request for workers at French ports. About 25,000 South Africans joined the Corps. The SANLC was utilized in various menial noncombat tas ...

. Sechele II's grandson

Bonewamang Padi Sechele Bonewamang Padi Sechele (1926–1978) was the African Tribal Authority of the Kwena tribe from 1970 until his death in 1978. He was appointed by the government in lieu of a ''kgosi'' after the abdication of Neale Sechele. Bonewamang Padi Sechel ...

was recognised as a legitimate heir of the Kwena chiefdom in 1963 but the court denied that he was next to succeed. Sechele II's younger son,

Neale Sechele Neale Molaodi Sechele (1915–1985) was ''kgosi'' of the Bakwena. He was appointed to the position by the court in 1963 following the death of his brother Kgari Sechele II, and he was forced to abdicate in 1970. As Neale was appointed against t ...

, was chosen by the colonial administration as a compromise and appointed as ''kgosi'', but his rule was not welcomed by the Bakwena. Bonewamang Padi Sechele later served as tribal authority of the

Kweneng District Kweneng is one of the districts of Botswana and is the recent historical homeland of the Bakwena people, the first group in Botswana converted to Christianity by famed missionary David Livingstone. Various landmarks, including Livingstone's Cave, ...

from 1970 to 1978 after Neale Sechele's removal.

Notes

References

* * * {{Cite book , last=Vengroff , first=Richard , title=Botswana, Rural Development in the Shadow of Apartheid , year=1977 , publisher=Fairleigh Dickinson University Press , isbn=978-0-8386-1759-5 1860 births 1918 deaths Kwena chiefs