Motsamaisa tiro
Kgosi Letukile Maselwane
Members of the royal house
All our elders
It is an honour to be with you today, to celebrate the cultural history and heritage of Bakwena Ba Modimosana Ba Ga Mmatau. This occasion brings us together to celebrate a tribe whose life is inseparable from the struggles for liberation and the creation of a united society.
This is the tribe that Kgosi Hendrick Maselwane The First (I) led from 1830 until his death in 1869, inspired by the desire to protect his people from any harm associated with the challenges of that time.
He shouldered this task under difficult circumstances, and acted in peace when his tribe fled from Molokwaneng in the Rustenburg area during the Mzilikazi raids to the Merafong and Potchefstroom area, where they hid at the Letalo cave.
These difficult times proved Kgosi Hendrick Maselwane I as a man who put the interests and lives of his people first, ahead of settling scores that came with winning fights at the expense of people’s lives.
Indeed, today we celebrate a rich history whose foundation was laid by a pioneer who knew the importance on non-racialism many decades before our democracy, even long before the champion of this ideology, the ANC, was formed in 1912.
It was he who established a friendship with Hendrick Potgieter, who led the Voortrekker group that established the Potchefstroom town in 1838. In this regard, Kgosi Hendrick Maselwane I extended his hand of friendship in a quest to collaborate with Hendrick Potgieter to protect his community from the Mzilikazi attacks.
This was because he refused to contextualise race in line with the oppressor's definition. He knew that race was an instrument used by the oppressor as a tool to cement a system of exploitation.
Thus, I can confidently say he clearly understood the potency of collective action across race and that the momentous power of such unity will withstand any challenges and would equally catalyse us to our destiny.
This hero would have wished for all South Africans to unite to defeat our modern day challenges such as poverty, crime, violence against women and children as well as disguised forms of racism still playing themselves out underhandedly in some societal quarters.
As we celebrate the history and heritage of Bakwena Ba Modimosana Ba Ga Mmatau, we must pay tribute to him, the first leader of this tribe, as an accomplished pathfinder who laid a solid foundation for his successors.
Based on his life story, we could safely say that he would encourage us to love and protect one another, and to break all racial barriers in pursuit of common goals.
Like other heroes of our struggle, his life can be summed up as one that made telling appearances in the theatre of our struggle for non-racialism. This shows that traditional leaders have long understood the role they should play in their communities, as champions of development and advocates of human rights.
Hence, it is for this reason that we acknowledge and celebrate the role played by all the leaders, from Kgosi Hendrick Maselwane I to the current leader, Kgosi Letukile Maselwane, for their contribution to the legacy of this tribe.
We also honour those fallen heroes and heroines whose tombstones we are unveiling today. Among them is Kgosi Herman Thebe Ramatumpula Maselwane, who will always be remembered as a progressive farmer and a symbol of black entrepreneurship in farming.
He was among those who broke the racial barrier to venture into agri-business, because he knew that race could not be used to measure his potential as a human being.
He is an exemplary figure that many of us, especially the youth, must learn from in our endeavours for a better life, including venturing into areas of opportunities previously dominated by minority groups.
Programme director, traditional leadership is an important arm of democracy. These are leaders on the ground, who work with people, who know and understand the needs of people better. Generally throughout the country, they lead rural communities who are in dire needs of services such as water, electricity, proper roads as well as health services.
It is for this reason that government has a close relationship with the National House of Traditional Leaders to ensure that rural development, which is one of government's priorities, receives the greatest attention during this term of government.
Rre Kgosi, I am aware that the royal house is busy working on a documentary about the rich heritage of this tribe. I have no doubt that this will encourage the youth of this tribe to learn about their roots and culture.
We need to encourage the youth to take interest in culture, and learn valuable lessons from it that they could use positively to address the challenges they face today.
In conclusion, it is encouraging that this occasion also celebrates women who have carried out many tasks in the name of this tribe. This unveiling of tombstones for Bo Mma-Kgosi is a clear indication of the value they added as mothers of the tribe and as loyal counsels and members of this community.
I thank you.
Source: Department of Social Development
Speech by the Minister of Social Development, Mrs Edna Molewa, at the heritage celebration of Bakwena ba Modimosana ba Mmatau and the unveiling of six tombstones, Mmatau
