Matsha Secondary School tragedy.

When tragedy on the scale of the Matsha Secondary School truck accident that killed seven of our kids strikes, the nation needs to come together, for the simple reason that it must never ever be allowed to happen again. Coming together means we need to find out what we did wrong, or the measures we failed to take, leading to the tragedy.

The trajedy needs to be taken away from the realm of politics - no amount of headbutts and/or fists will tell us what happenned. Only a Judicial commission of enquiry would tell us that. And this is where national magnanimity comes in - A e nne modiga, Be-Shashe. I will explain the "Be-Shashe" in a later post. For now please read it as "Batswana".

And so I call upon President Dr. Ian Khama and the Judicial Service Commission, to appoint attorney Omphemetse Motumise as judge on a temporary basis, to head a judicial inquiry into the Matsha School accident. I call upon Rre Motumise, as a lawyer of high integrity, familiar with the Kgalagadi terrain and people, to accept such an appointment. I call upon the people of this country to give all concerned, the latitude to make the judicial inquiry a success!

Big (language) lies in our country.

I am a lazy reader. Last week, while reading the WeekendPost newspaper (07 - 13 November) I scribbled on my subconcious that there was an article by Dr Cosmos Kebinang Moenga, with a curious heading "There is more to culture than singing and dancing", which article I had to remember to read. As so often happens, I forgot to read it and threw the paper on to the heap. Today for some unknown reason, I remembered the article; perhaps because I observed some drinkers rolling and floating to the sound of the noisy gumbagumba at a nearby shebeen.

And so I dug up Dr. Cosmos Kebinang Moenga's artcle and read it.  It is very enlightenning and I strongly recommend it.
When I reached the end, I remembered how I recently experienced the power of "Big Lies" told by "big" people (as related in Adolf Hitler's 'Mein Kampf'). You see, I never view anything written in Setswana language as possibly carrying any reading value, and so I never read anything  written in Setswana language, be it reports or opinion pieces. I must admit though, that my knowledge of Setswana is quite poor!

A few months ago, I bought a Wednesday edition of Mmegi (The Reporter) newspaper. As I paged through, I came accross an article written in Kalanga language, by Dr. Shandulani Buyani Vavani. I instinctively started reading it. I got so egrossed in reading this article, nothing could have swayed my attention whatsoever. By the time I finished reading the article, I felt in much lighter mood; but what then followed is what really shocked me. I found myself having read an entire article in Setswana language in the same paper, without even noticing that I was reading a Setswana article. It was just like the Setswana language article was a continuation of Dr. Vavani's humorous Kalanga article. Perhaps for the first time in my sixty-odd years I stood back and detached myself from what had just happenned to me, and attempted to understand it. I had unconciously sought value in a Setswana language piece, a language I consider oppressive of my native Kalanga; a language I severely despise! I had done that because Dr. Vavani's article, written in my language, had tripped a Setswana-barring switch implanted in my subconcious by the perception that Setswana language oppresses my native Kalanga language.

What had just happenned is proof if ever one were needed, that our Government's argument that allowing languages other than Setswana to be officially used would breed national disunity, is total nonsense. On the contrary, it would cement our nation together, because we would begin to appreciate the value in our fellow country men and women. In other words, we would be truly "free men and women". We would feel curious enough about other languages used in our country that we would become multilingual. A Kalanga like me, would want to converse with an old Naro woman or man, and the only way to do it would be to learn her/his language!

So, beware of Government "Biglies"! The reason why Seretse Khama banned Kalanga from being taught in schools was his inferiority complex as a Setswana speaker who was fully aware that the nation he was leading was a Kalanga nation, and that therefore the only way he could retain the privileged position thrust upon him by Imperialist Britain was to repress and assimilate the majority (Kalanga) into the minority (Tswana). He did it in grand style - by proclaiming that Kalangas are a tribe, and at the same time challenging them to tell him who their paramount chief should be. Imagine the cheek of it. He declares Kalangas a tribe, and instead of him identifying the "paramount chief" of said tribe, he demands that that "tribe" identify to him who their "traditional" paramount chief is!. The same warped argument is being advanced today by Setswana so-called "intellectuals". They now want Kalanga (and other) non-Setswana speakers to tell them how Government can best preserve the many languages spoken in our country! My answer to them is simple - the same way you have so far preserved the Setswana language. As a Kalanga I do not accept the crap about Setswana language being "the National language". Who made it a national language over and above Kalanga, when the Tswana speakers have always been a subset of Kalanga speakers? Seretse Khama never asked, nor did he receive any acceptance by Kalanga speakers that their language be banned from schools. He never conducted a referendum on such an important national question.

In my view, Kalangas should boycot the 50 year Independence anniversary celebrations next year, including the vision 2036 council,  until the teaching of Kalanga is RESTORED in our schools!

Motumise vs President Dr Ian Khama

Kante just what is the dispute in the LSB and Motumise vs. President Dr Ian Khama and others case? Yes we know that in not appointing attorney Motumise as Judge President Khama is said to have "rejected" the advice of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC). But what does "rejecting" advice of JSC have to do with the constitution?

1. The constitution is said to clearly state that the President shall act IN ACCORDANCE with the advice of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC).
2. The President admits that he acted IN DISCORDANCE with said advice!  So what's the beef? He acted unconstitutionally!

Forget about ADVICE by its nature being not binding. What is binding here is the words "IN ACCORDANCE WITH". These words can never be interpreted to mean the same thing as "IN DISCORDANCE WITH".

Solo J: Apology or two fingers?

I think BOPEU should cool off a little and take time to read Justice Professor Kholisani Solo's "apology". The Sunday Standard of September 20 -26, 2015 quotes from the alleged apology of the professor as follows:

"I fully realize the embarrassment caused to the Chief Justice and the appointing authority and apologise unapologetically about it. I express my loyalty ..."

My English is very poor admittedly, but isn't this equivalent to what Galileo said to the Inquisition when they demanded that he withdraw his statements about the Earth revolving around the Sun - "I withdraw, but she continues to revolve"?

The Pesher language technique

And so thanks to the Dead Sea scrolls we now know who the Lemba (Mwenye) really are. We also know why their DNA traceability to the Jews is not matrilineal but patrilineal.
But first things first.

The pesher technique that Benson Saili, in his writings about the Dead Sea scrolls, claims was invented by the Essenes is a standard Kalanga language construct used exactly as it was used by the Essenes. In Kalanga, speaking in pesher is called “KU PESA”. Indeed, the word “Essenes” itself is in “pesher” as follows:

The first "E" is the usual Kalanga/Nguni "i-something" prefix, as in "i-mpala; i-mota; etc". In English it simply translates to "It is - " or in short form, "It's".  It is the same "E" as used in the word Egypt. In the word "Italy" it is correctly rendered in the Kalanga language "I-".

The next part "-ssenes", comes from the Kalanga verb "KU SENA", meaning "TO GO UNDER (something)". In the case of the Essenes, it simply meant that they were an underground movement. However, the Romans would not have associated "Ku sena" with being seditious, but simply with literally going under (a branch, a ladder etc). Therein lies the pesher nature of their name "Essenes".

If, as Ben Saili points out, the Essenes were a male religious sect or order, that would explain why the Lemba of Southern Africa show only a patrilineal, and not a matrilineal  DNA connection to the Middle East. In other words, the Lemba are the original Essenes order of the Jews.  As to why they are black, that is no issue. In fact to us Africans they have distinct Asian features, which they share with many other present day African groups. To us Kalangas, they are simply Baperi, tribally different from other Kalanga tribes such as Bawumbe, Bangwa-Ato, Bakhurutshe, Bangwa-khwizi, Bakhwa, Ba-Mbukushu; but no less Kalanga than those other tribes!  However, their customs are a reflection of their history, and therefore of necessity must differ from the customs of say, the Banyayi for example. The Lemba customs are, as professor Parfitt pointed out, distinctly Jewish. Of course, as the Essenes, they would have to be.

This brings me to a very touchy subject, which I hope will not land me in jail. I am very disturbed by the current stampede by Botswana traditional leaders from their roles as custodians of their respective peoples' cultures, into Parliament. Some newspaper columnists argue that it is a good thing, since politicians have usurped the powers of traditional leaders anyway, leaving the latter powerless to direct the lives of their people. I do not agree. In my view, the House of Traditional leadres (Ntlo ya Dikgosi), after its reconstitution to include all tribes that are currently not represented therin, Bahumbe, Bakhwa, BaMbukushu, BaKoba, BaSubiya, Baperi, BaNyayi, BaNambdza, Barotsi etc, should fight to have the final say in all matters that have a bearing on the cultures of their people.

A court in Francistown is currently seized with a very sad case in which a member of the Lemba/Baperi tribe has been convicted of raping his own daughter, and fathering a child with her. He faces a possibility of life in prison. I am wondering if the tradition/culture of the convict may have had anything to do with his behaviour. Assuming that it did, will entry of his chief into Parliament lead to the enactment of laws that take into account the effect of his culture upon his behaviour? If not, then why should his chief strive to enter Parliament, rather than to be given powers under the House of traditional leaders, to have the final say in matters affecting the culture of his people?
 
My comment on this case is not in any way meant to interfere with the course of Justice. On the contrary, it simply highlights the importance of having traditional leaders having a say, outside Parliament, in the cultural lives of their subjects. I am not Lemba/Pedi, therefore maybe I am wrong in my insinuations about the Lemba culture. However I know that this country's citizens come from all sorts of different cultural backgrounds, and to ignore the possible effect of their cultural upbringing on their subsequent behaviours would be a recipe for future disintegration of our nation.

Good Hope / Mabule - LOL!!!!!

First I want to thank Balilima-chirwa for rejecting Eric Molale at the recent by-election. Having been a civil servant under Eric Molale, I fully agree with BOFEPUSU who have labelled him an enemy of the workers. I feel partly avanged.

All that I am now looking forward to is the same fate befalling that *&%$£^ in Australia if and when he tries his luck at the polls!

Reading the newspapers, I realise that some people are now questioning the "capability" of the Independent Electrol Commission to conduct timely counting of ballots. Some columnists are now calling for electronic voting as a way of "speeding up" vote counting.

My take on this is that the "Independent Electoral Commission" secretariat will never be truly impartial (non partisan) as long as civil servants are allowed to become members of political parties. I have never been able to understand why a worker who expects not to be fired from employment should a certain party lose elections, would consider it "ethical" to openly declare his/her partisanship by applying for membership of a political party.

I am not faulting civil servants for having partisan political preferences. Like every other citizen, they are politically concious animals. What I am saying is that civil servants owe it to the nation (their employer) not to be seen to be exercising their responsibilties in a politically partial way; what better way of showing partiality than applying to join one political party.

Imagine that you are the ruling party, and a vacancy exists at the Independent Electoral Commission secretariat. Wouldn't you be tempted to employ one of your own members, to the exclusion of those of opposition political parties for such a "sensitive" position? Of course you would.  If you succumb to the temptation, the IEC will most likely be manned not by the most capable workers, but by the most partial and partisan opportunists. In fact the whole civil service will gravitate towards the most inefficient workforce, because any opportunist who fancies being a permanent secretary (high pay) will opt to follow the easy way towards that objective - get a ruling party card, and you are home and dry!

Under the current civil service rules, where civil servants are allowed to be members of political parties, it is illogical  to assume that the Independent Electoral Commission secretariat could be truly impartial. A member of a political party usualy swears to protect the interests of that party. If he/she doesn't, then what is the point of becoming a member in the first place?
 
Following from the above, it should be clear that Political parties, especially the opposition ones owe it to their members and supporters to keep a very close watch on what the Independent Electoral Commission secretariat does before, during and (especially) after an election. There is nothing inherently wrong with manual counting of ballots for a population of two million people. What presents itself as a challenge is the insistence that counting officers should take a break! In a country where people are hurling insults at South Africa for failing to open her borders 24 hours a day, why is it so difficult to count the ballots without a break? Why is it not a problem to work around the clock in Jwaneng, Orapa, clinics etc? In my view there should be relieving teams at the counting of votes. In the same way that a cashier in a shop cashes in her take for the day, seals it, hands it in, and is replaced by another cashier, so also a counting crew can be relieved by another.

What is crucial is that COUNTING SHOULD BE CONDUCTED AT THE ELECTION POINT, THE RESULTS VERIFIED AND PUBLISHED BEFORE ANY BALLOT BOXES CAN BE MOVED

Stoki, Stoki ....

When little girls jump to the rythm of "Stoki, Stoki; ngwanamatsale ...", little do they realise that the "tsiditsidi" they allege exists is just ice; ice used to cool the "baloyi".

In case you missed it, there has been a spirited exchange (conversation) between me and another commentor under the topic "Are Barwa, Barua?" in the blog nkalangaunozwida.blogspot.com.