{"id":83354,"date":"2026-04-29T06:52:51","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T06:52:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/bakgatla-hopes-dashed-as-dpp-pursues-kgafela"},"modified":"2026-04-29T08:42:19","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T08:42:19","slug":"bakgatla-hopes-dashed-as-dpp-pursues-kgafela","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/bakgatla-hopes-dashed-as-dpp-pursues-kgafela","title":{"rendered":"Bakgatla Hopes Dashed as DPP Pursues Kgafela"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Botswana. <\/strong><\/span>The DPP has hinted that government may have given Bakgatla the wrong impression after assuring them Kgafela\u2019s charges had been dropped, clarifying that the case remains active.<\/b><\/p>\n

What began as a moment of celebration for Bakgatla Ba Kgafela in December has quickly turned into uncertainty following a revelation by the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) that their paramount chief, Kgafela Kgafela II is still a wanted man.<\/p>\n

The Bakgatla community a few months back expressed overwhelming joy and relief after the Minister of Local Government and Traditional Affairs, Ketlhalefile Motshegwa, announced that all charges against their long self-imposed exile Kgosi, Kgafela II, had been dropped\u2014seemingly clearing the way for his long-awaited return home.<\/p>\n

DPP CONTRADICTS MINISTER<\/p>\n

However, that optimism has been short-lived. Addressing a press conference this week, the DPP, Kgosietsile Ngakaagae clarified that the case against Kgafela has not been withdrawn.<\/p>\n

The DPP stated that there is no evidence of reconciliation between the complainants and Kgafela, a key legal requirement in any move to drop charges in such matters.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no basis before us to suggest that the matter has been resolved to a point where charges can be withdrawn,\u201d the DPP said, effectively casting doubt over the minister\u2019s earlier pronouncement.<\/p>\n

SHOCK AND CONFUSION<\/p>\n

Speaking to this publication, Kgafela\u2019s spokesperson, Lebogang Maname, said the development had come as a shock to the Bakgatla leadership.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are surprised by the state\u2019s position. The ministers responsible, for justice and local government, recently assured Bakgatla that all was well, that the matter had been resolved and that charges had been withdrawn,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He said minister Ramaotwana further revealed that there was no specific complaint directly against Kgafela as an individual.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were told by Ramotwana that there is no particular complaint against Kgafela but his tribesmen. He was cited in his capacity as a traditional leader,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

INSTITUTIONAL TENSIONS EMERGE<\/p>\n

The conflicting positions between the political leadership and the prosecutorial authority have once again exposed tensions and possible misalignment within government institutions.<\/p>\n

Legal observers note that while ministers may make political pronouncements, the authority to withdraw criminal charges ultimately rests with the DPP, whose decisions are guided by law and evidence.<\/p>\n

UNCERTAIN PATH HOME<\/p>\n

Kgafela, who has lived in self-imposed exile for years, has long sought to return to Botswana, with his supporters viewing the December announcement as a breakthrough moment.<\/p>\n

With the DPP now maintaining that the case remains active, his return appears uncertain once again, leaving the Bakgatla community in limbo.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Botswana<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Botswana. The DPP has hinted that government may have given Bakgatla the wrong impression after assuring them Kgafela\u2019s charges had been dropped, clarifying that the case remains active. What began as a moment of celebration for Bakgatla Ba Kgafela in December has quickly turned into uncertainty following a revelation by the Directorate of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":83353,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,12],"tags":[234],"class_list":["post-83354","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-botswana"],"yoast_head":"\nBakgatla Hopes Dashed as DPP Pursues Kgafela - Botswana<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The DPP has hinted that government may have given Bakgatla the wrong impression after assuring them Kgafela\u2019s charges ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/bakgatla-hopes-dashed-as-dpp-pursues-kgafela\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Bakgatla Hopes Dashed as DPP Pursues Kgafela\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The DPP has hinted that government may have given Bakgatla the wrong impression after assuring them Kgafela\u2019s charges ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/bakgatla-hopes-dashed-as-dpp-pursues-kgafela\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Botswana\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-29T06:52:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-29T08:42:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/botswana\/sites\/38\/2026\/04\/sm_1777439332.749335.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"960\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/bakgatla-hopes-dashed-as-dpp-pursues-kgafela#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/bakgatla-hopes-dashed-as-dpp-pursues-kgafela\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Bakgatla Hopes Dashed as DPP Pursues Kgafela\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-29T06:52:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-29T08:42:19+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/bakgatla-hopes-dashed-as-dpp-pursues-kgafela\"},\"wordCount\":438,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/bakgatla-hopes-dashed-as-dpp-pursues-kgafela#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/botswana\/sites\/38\/2026\/04\/sm_1777439332.749335.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Botswana\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/bakgatla-hopes-dashed-as-dpp-pursues-kgafela#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/bakgatla-hopes-dashed-as-dpp-pursues-kgafela\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/bakgatla-hopes-dashed-as-dpp-pursues-kgafela\",\"name\":\"Bakgatla Hopes Dashed as DPP Pursues Kgafela - 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