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Seretse Khama

Sir Seretse Khama, Order of British Empire|KBE (1 July 1921 – 13 July 1980) was a Botswanian statesman. Born into the royal family of what was then the British Empire|British protectorate of Bechuanaland Protectorate|Bechuanaland, and educated abroad in neighbouring South Africa and in the United Kingdom, he returned home—with a Ruth Williams|popular but controversial bride -- to lead his country's independence movement. He founded the Botswana Democratic Party in 1962 and became Prime Minister in 1965. In 1966, Botswana gained independence and Khama became its first president. During his presidency, the country underwent rapid economic and social progress.

Childhood and education

Seretse Khama was born in 1921 in Serowe, Botswana|Serowe, in what was then the Bechuanaland Protectorate. He was the son of Sekgoma II|Sekgoma Khama II, the paramount chief of the Bamangwato people, and the grandson of Khama III, their king. The name "Seretse" means “the clay that binds together,” and was given to him to celebrate the recent reconciliation of his father and grandfather; this reconciliation assured Seretse’s own ascension to the throne with his aged father’s death in 1925. At the age of four, Seretse became ''kgosi'' (king), with his uncle Tshekedi Khama as his regent and Legal guardian|guardian. After spending most of his youth in South African boarding schools, Khama attended Fort Hare University College there, graduating with a general Bachelor of Arts|B.A. in 1944. He then traveled to the United Kingdom and spent a year at Balliol College, Oxford|Balliol College, University of Oxford|Oxford, before joining the Inner Temple in London in 1946, to study to become a barrister.

Marriage and exile

In June 1947, Khama met Ruth Williams Khama|Ruth Williams, an English clerk at Lloyd's of London, and after a year of courtship, married her. The interracial marriage sparked a furore among both the apartheid government of South Africa and the tribal elders of the Bamangwato. On being informed of the marriage, Khama's uncle Tshekedi Khama demanded his return to Bechuanaland and the annulment of the marriage. Khama did return to Serowe but after a series of ''kgotlas'' (public meetings), was re-affirmed by the elders in his role as the ''kgosi'' in 1949. Ruth Williams Khama, traveling with her new husband, proved similarly popular. Admitting defeat, Tshekedi Khama left Bechuanaland, while Khama returned to London to complete his studies. However, the international ramifications of his marriage would not be so easily resolved. Having banned interracial marriage under the apartheid system, South Africa could not afford to have an interracial couple ruling just across their northern border. As Bechuanaland was then a British protectorate (not a colony), the South African government immediately exerted pressure to have Khama removed from his chieftainship. Britain’s Labour Party (UK)|Labour government, then heavily in debt from World War II, could not afford to lose cheap South African gold and uranium supplies. There was also a fear that South Africa might take more direct action against Bechuanaland, through economic sanctions or a military incursion. "Under the provisions of the South Africa Act of 1909, the Union laid claim to the neighbouring tribal territories and, as the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations pointed out to the Cabinet in 1949, the 'demand for this transfer might become more insistent if we disregard the Union government's views'. He went on, 'indeed, we cannot exclude the possibility of an armed incursion into the Bechuanaland Protectorate from the Union if Serestse were to be recognised forthwith, while feeling on the subject is inflamed'." The British government therefore launched a Parliament of the United Kingdom|parliamentary enquiry into Khama’s fitness for the chieftainship. Though the investigation reported that he was in fact eminently fit for the rule of Bechuanaland, "but for his unfortunate marriage", "Since, in their opinion, friendly and co-operative relations with South Africa and Rhodesia were essential to the well-being of the Bamangwato Tribe and the whole of the Protectorate, Serestse, who enjoyed neither, could not be deemed fit to rule. They concluded: 'We have no hesitation in finding that, but for his unfortunate marriage, his prospects as Chief are as bright as those of any native in Africa with whom we have come into contact'." the government ordered the report suppressed (it would remain so for thirty years), and exiled Khama and his wife from Bechuanaland in 1951.

Return to politics

The sentence would not last nearly so long. Various groups protested against the government decision, holding it up as evidence of British racism. In Britain itself there was wide anger at the decision and calls for the resignation of Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 5th Marquess of Salisbury|Lord Salisbury, the minister responsible. A deputation of six Bamangwato traveled to London to see the exiled Khama and Lord Salisbury, in an echo of the 1895 deputation of three Bamangwato ''kgosis'' to Queen Victoria, but with no success. However, when ordered by the British High Commission to replace Khama, the people refused to do so. In 1956, Seretse and Ruth Khama were allowed to return to Bechuanaland as private citizens, after he had renounced the tribal throne. Khama began an unsuccessful stint as a cattle rancher and dabbled in local politics, being elected to the tribal council in 1957. In 1960 he was diagnosed with diabetes. In 1961, however, Khama leapt back onto the political scene by founding the Nationalism|nationalist Bechuanaland Democratic Party. His exile gave him an increased credibility with an independence-minded electorate, and the BDP swept aside its Socialism|Socialist and Pan-Africanism|Pan-Africanist rivals to dominate the 1965 elections. Now Prime Minister of Bechuanaland, Khama continued to push for Botswana's independence, from the newly-established capital of Gaborone. A 1965 constitution delineated a new Government of Botswana|Botswana government, and on 30 September 1966, Botswana gained its independence, with Khama acting as its first President. In 1966 Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|Queen Elizabeth appointed Khama Order of the British Empire|Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.

Presidency

File:Khama statue.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Statue of Khama outside the Botswana Parliament building At the time of its independence, Botswana was among the world’s poorest countries, poorer than most African countries. Khama set out on a vigorous economic program intended to transform it into an export-based economy, built around beef, copper, and diamonds. The 1967 discovery of Orapa diamond mine|Orapa’s diamond deposits aided this program. However, other African countries have had abundant resources and still proved poor. Between 1966 and 1980 Botswana had the fastest growing economy in the world. Much of this money was reinvested into infrastructure, health care|health, and education costs, resulting in further economic development. Khama also instituted strong measures against Political corruption|corruption, the bane of so many other newly-independent African nations. Unlike other countries in Africa, his administration adopted market-friendly policies to foster economic development. Khama promised low and stable taxes to mining companies, free trade|liberalized trade, and increased personal freedoms. He maintained low marginal income tax rates to deter tax evasion and corruption. He upheld liberal democracy and racism|non-racialism in the midst of a region embroiled in civil war, racial enmity and corruption.A glimpse of Seretse Khama's legacy On the foreign policy front, Khama allowed Rhodesian militant organizations to use Botswana as a base for raiding operations against the incumbent white minority Rhodesian government.65 ''Robert Mugabe and the Betrayal of Zimbabwe'' Shortly before his death, Khama would play a major role in negotiating the end of the Rhodesian Bush War|Rhodesian civil war and the resulting creation and independence of Zimbabwe. On a personal level, he was known for his intelligence, integrity and sense of humour.

Legacy

Khama remained president until his death from pancreatic cancer in 1980, when he was succeeded by Vice President Quett Masire. Forty thousand people paid their respects while his body lay in state in Gaborone. He was buried in the Khama family graveyard on a hill in Serowe, Botswana|Serowe, Central District (Botswana)|Central District. Twenty-eight years after Khama's death, Seretse Khama Ian Khama|his son Ian succeeded Festus Mogae as the fourth President of Botswana; in Botswana general election, 2009|the 2009 general election he won a landslide victory in which a younger son, Tshekedi Khama, was elected as a parliamentarian from Serowe North West.