Seretse Khama

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Seretse Khamas statue in Gaborone

Sir Seretse Khama KBE (born July 1, 1921 in Serowe , † July 13, 1980 in Gaborone ) was the first President of Botswana from 1966 to 1980 .

youth

Seretse Khama belonged to the Bamangwato ethnic group in the then British protectorate of Bechuanaland . He was the grandson of the ruler Khama III. and son of the ruler Sekgoma II. His father had spent 17 years in exile, after his death in 1925 Seretse Khama inherited the dignity of the ruler. Its name means "connecting clay" and indicates that it should unite the ruling house. Due to his young age, his uncle Tshekedi Khama was installed as regent , who also became his guardian . Seretse Khama spent his childhood mainly in boarding schools in South Africa , for example in Tiger Kloof ( Natal ) and at the mission school in Lovedale ( Eastern Cape ).

He then attended the University of Fort Hare in Alice (Eastern Cape). In 1944, while studying in Johannesburg , he was asked to take over the leadership of the Bamangwato ethnic group, but decided to continue his studies. He made his Bachelor of Arts and from August 1945 attended Balliol College at Oxford University . He gained practical experience as a lawyer as a barrister at the Inner Temple of the Inns of Court in London .

Wedding and exile

In June 1947 Seretse Khama met Ruth Williams , an Englishwoman who worked at Lloyd's of London . After a year, the two married, which caused some irritation in two groups: the Bamangwato Council of Elders did not want any whites at the court of the head and the South African government under Daniel François Malan , elected in 1948, had just started to implement its apartheid policy and demanded a say Affairs of the neighboring British protectorates. The government of Southern Rhodesia also vehemently opposed the connection. Khama's uncle Tshekedi Khama demanded that he return to Bechuanaland immediately and that the marriage be annulled. Upon his return, Seretse was confirmed as a Kgosi (principal) by the elders . As his wife eventually became popular with the people, his uncle renounced his demands and left the country. Khama returned to London to continue his studies.

In March 1950, the British government, then led by the Labor Party , intervened in the case. After an appointment with the Minister for Affairs of the Commonwealth , Seretse Khama announced the government's proposal at a press conference: renouncing the representative office in exchange for an annual tax-free settlement of £ 1,100 (at that time almost DM 23,000 ) and staying in England. Since he could not befriend this, he was banished from Bechuanaland, with considerable pressure from the South African government suspected. After the Conservative Party's victory in the 1951 elections , the exile was extended indefinitely.

return

The Bamangwato refused for a while to determine a successor, which is why the British use the next-placed Rasebolai Kgamane in the line of succession. After the waiver of his claims, Seretse Khama was allowed to return with his wife and children in 1956. In matters of the tribe he supported Kgamane and otherwise lived inconspicuously and withdrawn as a cattle breeder in Serowe.

After a constitutional reform in 1960, which granted the Africans 12 of the 35 seats in the Legislative Council, Seretse Khama became an MP. In 1961 he founded the moderate Bechuanaland Democratic Party (BDP), which clearly won the elections in 1965 with 28 of the 31 seats, and became Prime Minister. The party was renamed the Botswana Democratic Party after independence . In the early 1960s there were rumors in the press that he had sought a conversation with Sir Roy Welensky in order to join his country to the Central African Federation . The project was not pursued any further.

president

When Bechuanaland became independent on September 30, 1966 under the name Botswana, Khama took over the office of president. He knew how to ensure good economic development, an effective fight against corruption and democratic conditions for his country . The wealth of raw materials allowed him to make extensive investments in infrastructure and education.

In foreign policy he was able to largely keep his country out of the conflicts in South Africa, Rhodesia and Namibia and limit himself to the more symbolic affiliation to the " front-line states ".

Seretse Khama suffered from diabetes and remained President of Botswana until his death from pancreatic cancer in 1980. He was buried in Serowe.

With Ruth Khama he had a daughter and three sons who were born between 1950 and 1958. From 2008 to 2018 his son Ian Khama was President of Botswana. Tshekedi Khama - named after Seretses uncle - is a long-time minister.

Honors

literature

  • Michael Duffield: A marriage of inconvenience. Allen Lane, London 1990, ISBN 0-7139-9811-3 .
  • Susan Williams: Color bar. The persecution of Ruth and Seretse Khama. Routledge, London 2006, ISBN 0-04-440495-6 .
  • Ronald Segal: African Profiles . Prestel, 1963.
  • Wolf-Rüdiger Baumann, Gustav Fochler-Hauke: Fischer world almanac. Biographies on contemporary history since 1945. 25th edition. Fischer Taschenbuch Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 1985, ISBN 3-596-24553-2 .

Film adaptations

  • 1990: A Marriage of Inconvenience. TV Movie, United Kingdom.
  • 2016: A United Kingdom . Drama film directed by Amma Asante , United Kingdom.

Web links

Commons : Seretse Khama  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Portrait at sahistory.org.za (English), accessed on March 12, 2017
  2. ↑ Botswana at worldstatesmen.org (English), accessed on March 12, 2017
personal data
SURNAME Khama, Seretse
BRIEF DESCRIPTION first president of Botswana
DATE OF BIRTH July 1, 1921
PLACE OF BIRTH Serowe , Bechuanaland
DATE OF DEATH July 13, 1980
Place of death Gaborone , Botswana