
September is Botswana Month
Botswana got her independence from the United Kingdom on the last day of September, 57 years ago. A less known fact is that September 30, 1966 was also the 79th anniversary of Bechuanaland being divided into two countries just six months after becoming a British protectorate.
Faced with the imminent threat of the South African Boer republics, German colonisation of South West Africa, and/or incorporation into Cecil John Rhodes’ ruthless takeover scheme (whichever would come first), Queen Victoria granted protectorate status to Batswana’s lands on the 31st of March 1885.
Half a year later, the area south of the Molopo River was effectively annexed by the British, separating it from the protectorate, and making it a Crown territory known as British Bechuanaland, on the 30th of September 1885.
10 years later, this territory would become incorporated into the Cape Colony and effectively lose all ties with the protectorate to the north, except that the administrative capital of the protectorate remained in Mafikeng for a significant while after. During their fabled trip to Brighton, The Three Dikgosi, successfully negotiated with the British Crown against the idea of incorporating Bechuanaland Protectorate, thus keeping it a separate country from what would soon become the Union of South Africa.
Another less known fact is that although the Three Dikgosi are the ones who made it to statesman status in Botswana, the expedition actually had FOUR Dikgosi. Unfortunately for the Barolong living south of the Molopo, it was a done deal, as they, being in a Crown land, did not enjoy the level of autonomy as those in the Protectorate. To make matters worse, their aging ruler, Kgosi Montshiwa I, was not in a position to make the trip, and sent his son and heir, Besele, in his stead. As their land has since been incorporated into what is now the Republic of South Africa, there is very little mention of Besele (or his father) in the story of our very own “three wise men” – or should I say “three kings”.

Another fun fact that many do not know is that although we knew the late Queen Elizabeth II (ER II) as Mmamosadinyana [Madam Little Woman], that name was initially coined up and used to refer to Queen Victoria, who was known to be short in stature (at about 1.5 metres or 5 feet).
From the Lwetse [September] post, you have read that September is considered to be the first month of the traditional Tswana year, and this was not unique to Batswana, as other Southern African peoples, such as the Zulus also observed such a yearly cycle. So September is indeed Botswana Month, and we will have a slightly higher than average number of posts this month as we celebrate this month.
[TSN] Lwetse ke Kgwedi ya Botswana
Botswana o tsere boipuso go tswa kwa go Mmamosadinyana ka letsatsi le bofelo la Lwetse, dingwaga di le 57 tse di fetileng. Se bontsi ba sa se itseng ke gore letsatsi lone leo la 30 Lwetse 1966, le kaya pheto ya dingwaga di le 79 lefatshe la Bechuanaland le kgaogantswe ka bogare.
E ne ya re go itemogela dirai tsa kgolo ya mafatshe a Maburu, le ya seketlo se se iphilweng ke Majeremane kwa Namibia, ga mmogo le maikaelelo a ga Cecil John Rhodes a go akaretsa lefatshe la Batswana mo go a a neng a setse a a iphile a Zimbabwe le Zambia, Mmamosadinyana o ile tlhama tumalano ya tshireletso le dikgosi tsa Batswana ka 31 tsa Mopitlo 1885.
Mme e ne ya re go ise go iwe gope, a kgaoganya naga eo ya Batswana a aga mololwane ka Noka ya Molopo, mme ga nna gore b aba bokone ja noka e, ba tswelela ba nna mo Bechuanaland Protectorate, mme ba b aka fa borwa ba nna mo kgaolong e ncha e e bidiwang British Bechuanaland, e e laolwang ka tlhamalalo go tswa kwa Lontone. Sebe sa Phiri ya nna gore morago ga dingwaga fela di le some, British Bechauanaland e ne ya kopanngwa le Cape Colony, ya bo e le fa e kgaoganyeditswe ruri le Bechauanaland Protectorate. Mafatshe a mabedi a a ne a tshwaragantswe fela ke gore moshate wa Protectorate o ne wa tswelele o le kwa Mafikeng ka sebakanyana.
Loeto le le tumileng la Dikgosi tse Tharo go ya Brighton, go buelela gore mafatshe a bone a seke a kopanngwa le la Cape Colony le ne la atlega, ka jalo ba sireletsa serodumo sa Bechuanaland Protectorate go tswelela e le lefatshe le le ikemetseng.

Ntlha e ngwe gapegape e bontsi ba sa e itseng, ke gore ntswa leina Mmamosadinyana le amanngwa thhata le Queen Elizabeth II (yo o sa tswang go re tlogela), tota leina le e ne e le la ga Queen Victoria (yo neng a busa gone ka dingwaga tsa bo 1885). E bile ene le ne le mo tshwanela that aka e ne e se motho yo o tshabeleng monyo – a le boleele ja dimithara di le 1.5.
Se sengwe se bontsi ba ka tswang ba sa se its eke gore le fa ntswa re bua ka Dikgosi tse Tharo tota ba tsamaile mosepele e le Dikgosi tse NNE. Mathata a dule mo go reng ka Maboritane ba ne ba setse ba kgaogantse Bechuanaland ka bogare, kgaolo ya ga Montshiwa le Barolong ba gagwe e ne ya wela mo British Bechuanaland, mme e sena dithata tsa go ikemela jaaka ba kgaolo ya Bechuanaland Protectorate. Ka jalo, maiteko a go ipuelela gore ba seke ba tsenngwe mo Cape Colony a ne a retela. Se sengwe gape ke gore Kgosi ya Barolong nako eo, Kgosi Montshiwa, o ne a na le bokowa jo bo neng bo mo itsa go tsamaya mosepele o mo leele o, mme a romeletse morwae, Besele, go mo emela.
Jaanong ka Cape Colony e ne ya felela e akareditswe mo lefatsheng la Afrika Borwa, ditso tsa Kgosi ya Bone ga di tlhagelele thata mo ditsong tsa Botswana.
Jaanong, fa o badile khutshwe ya Lwetse [September], o tla gakologelwa go re re rile Lwetse ke kgwedi ya ntlha ya ngwaga wa Setswana wa setso. Mme kana kgang e ga se ya Batswana fela, ke merafe e mengwe ya Borwa ja Afrika, jaaka Mazulu, le bone ba ne ba dira jaana. Ka jalo, ke tseela gore re tla dumalana gore amaaruri Lwetse ke Kgwedi ya Botswana.