Bullying by a Tonota chief

 Last Friday, 14th November 2025 a friend of mine, Damien Uwe Hobona, told me a harrowing tale of what he had endured at the receiving end of a tongue lashing by the Tonota chief. Below I'll try to produce what he told me as closely to "verbatim" as I can remember.

"Last Friday 14th November, I was subjected to absolute terror, public humiliation and ridicule at Mafungo-Hubona kgotla by a Kgosi from Tonota. I can’t remember very well who they introduced him as: Kgosi Raditladi or Radipitse, I’m not sure. The Kgosi had been expected a week or so earlier. The villagers had duly gathered at the Kgotla, but the Kgosi had failed to show up. It was announced that he had not been able to secure diesel for the sixty (60) Km journey from Tonota.

So, on Friday 14th November, the Kgosi arrived to deliver his long awaited judgement. The venue is a leobo, which is basically a shed with wide openings in the walls to provide natural ventilation during gatherings. The architecture renders the building a semi-open air venue; suitable for large gatherings of villagers. However, there is a down side to it. Because the speakers do not use loud speakers, only the people sitting right at the front, who are almost exclusively other dikgosi, can clearly hear what is being said.

It was in such an environment that the Tonota Kgosi began to read his judgement. I had difficulty hearing him, so I slipped off my chair at the back and doubled up, I moved a number of rows closer to the VIP area. I could now hear the chief much better. The kgosi (chief) started his speech by recounting the events of his last consultation with the villagers at the same venue. He stated what the protagonists on either side had said in support of their own case. So far so good. I was keenly listening for the moment when the Kgosi would state that THIS IS THE DECISION/CONCLUSION OF THIS COURT. That moment never came. Instead, the kgosi continued his monotonous monologue as if everything he was reading was part of what one or other group had presented to support their case. I was at a loss. It was clear from the kgosi’s demeanour, coupled with the prior warnings of those junior dikgosi who had introduced him, that the kgosi was not going to allow any questions at the end of his judgement. I had to seek clarity before the kgosi ended his monologue. So I raised my hand, was ignored, and started to rise. I was sharply rebuked by the junior dikgosi surrounding him and ordered to sit down. I remained standing and asked the kgosi if that part of his speech was his actual ruling or if it was still an argument presented by one or the other protagonist groups. He paused, gave me a stern look and continued reading as if he had not heard me. I sat down. Two or three sentences down, he pronounced “anyone who is not happy with this decision is at liberty to go (appeal) to the Serowe Kgotla.” 

That was it, no questions or clarifications tolerated. The Kgosi walked out, escorted by his entourage of junior dikgosi. I decided that the only way I was going to understand what the kgosi had just read was if I got a copy of the minutes or judgement. For this I went looking for the kgosi’s secretary, who had been introduced in the gathering as such. I asked her if it was possible for me to get a copy of the judgement or minutes of the meeting, even if that was later. She was extremely rude and intolerant, crudely waving her hand towards the kgosi and saying “go and ask him”. I was hurt, but I had to find out what the judgement had said. So I approached the group where the kgosi was. I greeted him. His response was “who are you to interrupt me when I am speaking?” I was astounded! I quickly tried to explain exactly as I had explained when I “interrupted” him. He would not let me speak. As soon as I said “I had not understood…” he wagged his finger at me and said that it does not matter what I had not understood; even if it was something as benign as him coughing and omitting to read some words as a result, I could not interrupt him; I would have to “go to Serowe kgotla” for clarification. What was even more disheartening was that the junior dikgosi surrounding him demanded that I apologize for interrupting him during his speech. It was ridiculous, but I had no choice. I apologized. He turned away from facing me, and repeated “go to Serowe” if you are not happy. I walked away, bruised, hurt and in my mind angry that the land on which the kgosi was standing was not even part of his and Serowe’s tribal territory, but my grandfather’s land which they have all stolen from us, his descendants. In other words the kgosi was a trespasser on our land and was not even tolerant enough to let us seek clarity on his reading of his judgement.

I am now fully convinced that those citizens who want hereditary chieftainship abolished are right. An elected leader, whether in Parliament or wherever, cannot behave the way the Tonota kgosi behaved. His demeanour was no less authoritarian than that of a god.”