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Botswana: Strictly No Skirts or Earrings in Mhaladi's Kgotla
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Mmegi/The Reporter (Gaborone)
28 March 2008
Posted to the web 31 March 2008
Onalenna Modikwa
Gaborone
Whatever the occasion, any woman from Seolwane who approaches the village Kgotla wearing trousers invites the humiliation of being singled out and ordered back home to dress properly. The same applies to men with earrings.
This is as per the Batalaote custom and Kgosi Mhaladi Oteng Mhaladi is very strict on this because he harbours a passion of restoring the culture and tradition of his tribe.
Some villagers, especially the youth take advantage of festive occasions to enter the Kgotla in jeans. During the recent Mascom Base Transceiver Station launch, Mhaladi requested to make an announcement in the right schedule of events. When given the chance he barked an order that those who violated the dress code must go back home and comply with the tradition. He only excused visitors who were coming to the village for the first time and Mascom employees because they were on duty.
Perhaps the headman's seemingly rigid stand may be perpetuated by the fact that he is a badge bearing ZCC member where such dressing is strictly prohibited.
Mhaladi explained that a Motalaote woman has never been associated with a trouser or even jewellery. But due to dynamics of culture, only women may be allowed to put on earrings but not men. He stated that residents can dress as they like around the village but not in the Kgotla's vicinity. He said men with pierced ears or earrings are not allowed to approach a funeral procession. "This is not our culture and there is no way I can allow it. It is a sore on our tradition." The village has a very low crime rate and Mhaladi says it is because residents are aware of the stern punishments.
Seolwane village is tucked in a densely vegetated area, some 10km from Lerala along Martins Drift-Selebi-Phikwe road. This makes it a bit difficult to find the turn-off into the village with the long trees.
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Small and sleepy Seolwane seems to have very wealthy residents going by the expensive houses in the village. About two years ago, the village attracted attention when it was involved in a border tussle with Lerala. Mhaladi says that residents of Lerala were building a non-existing case against them. He says residents of the village like development and that is why it is growing fast. He cited the installation of electricity in the village when over 200 residents applied and got connected very quickly. They reacted to telephone line connections in a similar manner and now their village has a Base Transceiver Station launch for mobile phone company Mascom.
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