19-YEAR-OLD KING

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 840, 7 December 1929, Page 33

19-YEAR-OLD KING

NOW RULES TRIBE IN BECHUANALAND OVER-FIRM REGENT A ceremony of unusual interest took place at Mochudi native village in the Bechuanaland Protectorate, South j Africa, recently, says “The Cape Times,” when a new Paramount Chief was installed, with all .the picturesque ceremonial laid down by native custom, as King of the Bakgatla. The Bakgatla tribe is one of the most prosperous and well-governed in the Protectorate. It came over from the Transvaal half a century ago after a dispute about lands, and has since moved steadily along the path of progress. For more than 40 years Chief Liilehwe ruled over his people. He was unlettered, but one of nature’s gentlemen. 1-Ie accepted Christianity in the early days of his reign, and lived a consistent Christian life, as a monogamist. The laws he made for his people are strongly reminiscent of the time of Moses. The Sabbath was strictly kept. The penalty for inspanning a team of oxen on Sunday was that one of the oxen had to be shot. Dishonesty and thieving were ruthlessly dealt with. It is on record that a man who stole a sheep was fined three head of cattle and £6. Another who stole a pot from a local storekeeper was fined a span of oxen. The law of an eye for an eye and a tooth lor a tooth was often applied in the cases of assault. Disobedience and insubordination were not lor one moment tolerated. Regent Appointed The result of ail this was that Chief Liuchwe’s people were so well ruled and law abiding that the Protectorate Government never thought it necessary to put a magistrate or native commissioner 111 his chief village. Up to the present time there are not even Government police in his territory. Eight years ago, when the old chief became too feeble to continue ruling his people he designated his second son, the present Chief Isang, to act as regent till the majority of the real heir* to the throne, Prince Molefi, son of Linchwe’s eldest son, who had predeceased him. Young Molefi was then a lad of only nine. The Regent Isang then ruled for nine years. He is an enlightened native, who received his education at Zonnebloem College, Capetown. He ■subscribes to newspapers, reads books, especially on the native question, and knows more about legislation affecting natives than most white people. He, too, is a church member and monogamist and lives a sober life.

Isang has done much for the uplift of his people. An enthusiast for education, he has built several schools in his territory, notably a large school building in Mochudi Village, with eight class rooms and an assembly hall. This building would probably have cost £12,000 or £14,000 if built in the Union..

Another thing for which the Regent Isang will always be. remembered is his attempt to find water for his people in the dry Bechuanaland Protectorate. For nearly a year he had a drilling machine, costing £6 10s a day, boring for water in different parts of the country. Wherever an adequate supply was found he erected a concrete reservoir and installed an oil engine. Isang did much to improve the breed of his people's cattle. From a purely missionary point of view Isang will be remembered for the efforts he made to keep his people moral retd sober.

With all his good points, however, fsang had his faults. His people complained that he was too firm with them and punished them too severely for comparatively trivial offences. When last year there was a drought, some of the older people laid the responsibility at his door. They said: “God used to give us water from the clouds, but now He sees we are trying to get it from under the ground and so He has stopped giving us the rain.”

The end of it all was that after a series of tribal meetings it was decided that the young Prince Molefi (now aged 19 years) was old enough to be crowned King and so this youth, just back from school, took over the responsibility of ruling his people. With great acclamation and festivities Prince Molefi received the Royal leopard skin, assegai and knobkerrie —the insignia of office—at Mochudi Village, with' its S,OOO inhabitants, last month.