20 Feb 2014

Contrary to recent media reports, no ammunition was excavated from the Fish Keitseng monument in Lobatse.

Chief curator with  the National Museum and Art Gallery, Phillip Segadika said in an interview that while they found some metal pieces at the site, none of them was ammunition material even in preliminary analysis.

Media recently reported that the Keitseng monument, famously known as the Botswana abode for former South African president, Nelson Mandela was being searched for ammunition purportedly used by Mandela in the 1960’s.

Segadika, however, explained that the excavation was merely an attempt at re-enacting Mandela’s life by international film maker, Dearheart productions. The British film-maker had asked to do preliminary research for a planned Mandela film in Botswana.

He said the film would revolve around Mandela’s gun which Emperor Haille Sellassie of Ethiopia presented to him in 1962. He said by shooting the film at the actual location in Lobatse, Dearheart would not only be authenticating their movie but would also give publicity to the Keitseng monument.

Segadika noted that while it was true Mandela once hid some ammunition at the monument, the equipment was taken by another freedom stalwart Joe Modise within two days of Mandela’s departure. He said research by Dearheart productions came at the time the National Museum was excavating the site.

“We found a two cent coin dated 1961, and with the inscription, ‘unity is strength’ . It was in Dutch and English.” Segadika said they also found plastic bags written Bechuanaland Protectorate dating back to the 1960’s. In addition they found shoes, broken bottles of wine and beer, empty cans of canned food and charcoal.

Some of the plastics bags found bore the words Tastic rice showing just how far Batswana come with the brand. At the time both pounds and kilogrammes were used as measures of weight. Segadika further said it was important to excavate as that was essential for purposes of reconstruction of historical or archaeological timelines.

Thus more exploration on the history of Lobatse was needed to give the town due credit. It was due to  Lobatse that Botswana’s capital city moved from Mafikeng where the colonial Parliament sat. Ends