I was never meant to be a part of the festivities planned to welcome back former President Ian Khama in Serowe on Friday September 20th, that is until my Assignment Editor threw me a curve ball on Thursday (September 19, 2024) evening.
At 0730 the next day, I was on the A1 travelling to Serowe for Khama’s expected arrival at 10 am.
Dressed for a hot summer weekend, I went for The Voice branded puffer jacket, jeans and sneakers.
I also packed light for my one night stay in the Gammagwato capital.
Gusts of wind, and two waltzing balls of dust on the Serule-Tshimoyapula road must have been a warning I completely missed as I sped on the newly opened road.
The northerly winds quickly gained momentum, sweeping the tarred road clean, and with every kilometre I covered, the ball of dust in front of me increased in size and speed.
A lone harmless cloud I’d seen earlier had changed it’s ‘demeanor’.
It suddenly looked menacing.
By the time I arrived in Serowe, temperatures had dropped to well below 10 degrees celsius.
It was evident something special was brewing.
Serowe was cold, and I was inappropriately dressed.
The weather deteriorated with every passing second.
The natives were exhilarated.
The happiest I’d seen them in a while.
Women clad in German print and traditional shawls could be spotted walking in small groups on the roadside heading to the Khama residency.
“Kgosi e mo Serowe,” (the King is back) one gentleman bellowed on recognising the distinctive brand on my chest.
“Go monate go re. Serowe o monate jang. Mong-wa rona o tsile,” (Serowe is such a vibe. What a great time we’re having in Serowe, now that our master is back), another lady clad in a Khama branded t-shirt ‘E seng mo go Kgosikgolo’ added.
Thousands of men and women had gathered at the Khama residency to welcome the former President from his three year self imposed exile to neighbouring South Africa.
With song, and dance, Bangwato awaited the arrival of their leader.
The excitement was almost palpable.
“Ian Khama ke senata,” a choir belted a song.
“Rapula. Ya tshologa today,” (The rainmaker. It’s going to rain today).
The wait was finally over, Khama’s motorcade finally arrived to a deafening cheer from his subjects.
Led by horse riders, Khama waved from the comfort of his game-viewer cruiser as residents clamored for his attention.
“E gorogile tshetha ya dikgwa,” (The lion has arrived).
The progamme for the day wasn’t too long.
Khama briefly told his people that he was back in the country, and promised to share his plan for Serowe and the Ngwato territory the next day.
This gave me ample time to mingle with residents and pick their brains.
Without even blinking, Serowe natives told me to my face that the unexpected change in weather was all Khama’s doing.
“Khama ke modimo monna. O bokete!” exclaimed one gentleman. (Khama is a god. He’s no light weight).
The evening was spent killing time at the popular Bridgeway Bar, where together with my colleagues from other media houses, we knocked down a few cold ones.
Without warning there was a roar of thunder followed by a bright lightning flash. Lights out!
Patrons were left in the dark, and the sky pelted the pavement with huge rain drops forcing patrons to seek shelter inside.
“Oh God no. Pula e ha e ka na, re a go ba pota ka kae Bangwato?” cried one gentleman taking a swig from his Corona bottle.
“Obvious, ba go re ke ene,” his mate added with a shake of his head.
The heavens opened, and a calm light rain settled the dust in Serowe.
As quickly as it had arrived, the unexpected rain left, and fun lovers partied the night away.
Throughout the night at Bridgeway, the narrative was that Khama brought the rain to Serowe.
“Kgosi e tsamaa ka pheho le pula,” a die hard Khama supporter said, and no amount of reasoning would convince him otherwise.
The tone was set for the big day tomorrow.
SKI was back.
While King Khama’s arrival brought rain to Serowe and a cold front to the rest of Botswana, his departure from South Africa led to an unseasonal late snowstorms that battered the country’s coastal areas for the entire week.
What a freezing coincidence!
