A New Motswasele? Leetile Raditladi’s Troubled Tenure as Batawana Tribal Secretary, 1946- 1952

Abstract

This article details the tumultuous fi ve-year period when the renowned Tswana author Leetile Raditladi served as tribal secretary of the Batawana. During this period Raditladi became the de facto leader of the Batawana, working in conjunction with the female Regent Elizabeth Pulane Moremi. Raditladi’s autocratic behaviour and his sexual liaison with the regent led to the emergence of a secretive faction known as the ‘Malcontents’ who took steps to end his tenure. After several years of intrigues, the Malcontents eventually removed Raditladi from the Batawana Reserve by force. Given that Raditladi’s most famous work, Motswasele II, is a critique of chiefl y tyranny, his very own actions during the only time in his life when he held real power are highly ironic.