Southern African History:
Botswana

Kgosi Khama III (1837–1923) was the King of Bangwato people.

Ancestry and Youth :

During the 18th century, Malope, chief of the Bakwena tribe, led his people from the Transvaal region of South Africa into the southeast territory of Botswana. Malope had three sons – Kwena, Ngwato, and Ngwaketse – each of whom would eventually break away...

from their father (as well as from each other) and form new tribes in neighboring territories. This type of familial break between father and sons (and then between sons) was historically how tribes proliferated throughout the southern African region.

In this particular instance, the break between Malope and sons was precipitated by a series of events – the death of Malope, Kwena's subsequent assumption of the Bakwena chieftainship, and ultimately a dispute between Kwena and Ngwato over a lost cow.

Shortly after the lost-cow incident, Ngwato and his followers secretly left Kwena's village under the cover of darkness and established a new village to the north. Ngwaketse similarly moved south.

Kwena warriors attacked Ngwato's village three times, each time pushing Ngwato and his tribe of followers (now known as the Bamangwato) further northward. Somehow (this episode is not explained by Bessie), they held on, and by the time of Chief Khama III's reign (between the...

years 1875–1923), the Bamangwato had grown (both through natural population increase and the influx of refugee tribes from the South Africa and Rhodesia/Zimbabwe ) to become the region's largest tribe.

Current Descendants:

The Bechuanaland Protectorate maintained its semi-independent status until 1966, when it gained full independence as the Republic of Botswana. The first president, Sir Seretse Khama, was the grandson and heir of Khama III and his first son from Ruth Khama..

Seretse Khama Ian Khama, would succeed Seretse Khama as the paramount chief of the Bamangwato and go on to become the commander of the Botswana Defence Force, as a lieutenant general. On April 1, 2008, Seretse Khama Ian Khama, son of Sir Seretse Khama, and former Vice-President..

of Botswana, was sworn in as the fourth President of Botswana. Tshekedi Khama II, the brother of Seretse Khama Ian Khama, had also entered the political fray by taking over the parliamentary seat of his brother in Serowe.

Ndelu Seretse, a cousin of President Seretse Khama Ian Khama, is a former Minister of Justice, Defense and Security in the Government of Botswana. Sheila Khama, a distant relative of Seretse Khama Ian Khama, is the former CEO of De Beers Botswana, the largest mining company in...

Botswana, and part of the largest mineral mining company in the world. President Seretse Khama Ian Khama was elected for a full term as President of Botswana on October 16, 2009 and stepped down in 2018.

Hence, the "House of Khama" is still prominent in Botswana society. In the neighboring country of South Africa, Queen Semane Khama Molotlegi, Queen Mother of the Royal Bafokeng Nation, is the granddaughter of Khama III.

The 36th kgosi of the Royal Bafokeng Nation, Kgosi (King) Leruo Molotlegi, is the eldest living son of Queen Mother Semane Molotlegi and is therefore a great-grandson of Khama III.