Sereti Sa Mamokutu: Village Rhymes

  Mampuru II Bauba 'a Phaahla 'a Bauba (Biologically) or Bauba 'a Ngoato 'a Bauba (Sociologically) Ke Mampuru wa lethebeswane Bauba Ke Mampuru wa noka e kgolo Tubatse Motho a rego a ke thebose ke theoša le melapo! O re ke maramanyane a mmoto 'a Tjate, Theledi a Marota. A rego ke ba theletje ba šala ba swara ba šele Ba šala ba swara Bapedi baepa tšhoga ka legong! Ba re kgarebe tša ga Makotopo di a lla Ba re Bauba yena a se wa go hlwa le motho O reng a enwa 'hlama tša rena a homotše? Bauba mmoetšeng Lokase ga bo mogolo Moche! Yena a re ke kgomo ya gabo Mmaselatole Ye e itšego ge e re phorohlo, ya raga kgamelo Bare leleke la ga Mphahlele ya lahlela ka meetseng! O re ke Mašišimale a gabo Mošiane tlou 'a Mabasa Tlou ya manaka ke eme Marutle ga bo Lekgolane! O re ke šišimetše ke etša letlapa lapeng la bo Matobole Gale lena bo rangwane le kgona go fetoša batho batseta! Ga o bone ge le tšea Sepabe morwa Maakhudu le etiša pele O re ke sekitike se mo...

Kgoši Mmafeefee II (far left) Some, including kgoši himself, will spell it as Mmafefe II but I prefer to spell it the way my father pronounced it and the way Mmafeefee I (mong wa leina) would have pronounced it in a typical Mafefe way in his praise poem. Ka sepedi re re ke leina la marumo. His official adult name being Mogaramedi. Ke Mmafeefee, ke Dimo, ke Maageletša a Melau maphema ditsetsengwa Motho a rego go gata seloko se palege Ba re megobe e šale e eme magakwa e šale e eme maphampha! Ke Morwa-Makoti, ke Mogaramedi 'a dintwa! Ke Dimo 'a Ngoato 'a Bauba 'a Dimo! Ke yena Noko ka sebele, re tle re re Noko šikiša dira le melapo, gobane mphago wa dira ke meetse! Ke motho wa gabo Mampuru 'a lethebeswane Bauba! Ke motho wa gabo Mampuru 'a noka e kgolo Tubatse! Motho a rego a ke thebose ke theoša le melapo! Ke motho wa gabo Thobejane 'a bo Thobela, A rego ga gabo a ba tsebe sehlare sa pula, Ba tseba tšhidi ya marumo feela! Ke motho yo a bowago Mohlake mo...

Kgoši Sekhukhune I (Hlabirwa 'a Phaahla 'a Bauba) Sekhukhune o re "ke mmamosela 'a Matuba, ke tsotsoboko o a tšhoša"!  Bare mosela o hlehla le phoka lefokeng! Ke tsotsoboko o a tšhoša, ke tsotsoboko mmanaka lephatleng! Ba re naka la gago lana la palela mašole! Le šitile maburu ka lenareng. Re etetša tšhitšhila 'a manyama! Ke mmadira di se nago mosepelo O re ka borwa re epolla dinkokoto! O re ke epollotše nkokoto tawanakgolo sehloma ke tau ya Sekwati segafagafa selengwana. Ba re tau ya Sekwati ke hlatša marega! Selemo se tlago ke a gafagafa O re kgatha 'a dikgomo ka kgetha nathamagana Ke kgethile nama e botse lehlakori! Ka ja lekako ka kuna mong wa mogopo, rakgadi Moshopjadi Lekgolane la ga Molefe.

Kgoši Setlamorago Thobejane (in full Pedi regalia) Ngoato 'a Bauba 'a Dimo 'a Bauba Ke kgoši, ke Setlamorago, ke Ngwato, ke Makasa 'a Basotho, Makasa ka bolabola Phushudi, Phushudi 'a bo Lebato la Basotho! Ke motho wa gabo Mantaboge 'a ga Makanyoge 'a kutu letshela legora lehlabanela Phushudi, Phushudi a re ke mang motseng wa ga Matime a gore go gole motse wa mosadi wa mokgekolo! Ke waga leakampa la thaka a Madisha a Tjate, Ke tatago Ntwampe Maatalane Mokgatla mollela batho Mahwiti, Ntwampe mokgatla e mohubedu,Mokgatla wa bo Sethole ke a raga!! Kgoši Setlamorago Thobejane (Ngoato 'a Bauba) and his cousin and senior councillor, Makanyoge Mafefe (Ngoato 'a Phaahla) 

Myself welcoming Kgoši Setlamorago Thobejane (red tie) and members of his royal council (Kgoro ya Moshate) to my home (kgorong ya Majakwaneng) during a family event Hee Majakwane a Maatladi a Shego! Kera lena batho ba ga bo Sebaka Sedumaedi, Se ba rego a se dume se a bitša Se bitša Phaahla 'a Mogoto 'a Phogole Nna re batho ba gabo Kganya 'a Ramaredi 'a Tshwane Ba re ga gešu ga bo Kganya a re ke re dumediša moeng, moeng ke yena a rego Tama Sebaka! Nna ra re Thobela! Motho wa mosepedi. Nna re batho ba bo Mamoropje a thothoma magotlo! A Podi 'a Mokidikwane 'a Sekgophi sa Ngoato! Re batho ba bo Mantlako o a tšhoša, ba re Bauba o tšhošitše bale ba le ka mphatong, ba re go tšhaba ba ba ba tlogela le dikgago. Nna re batho ba bo Nkatane 'a Maatladi 'a Shego! Ba rego Phaahla ge ke e ja motho ke a kgetha! Ke leseditše ba dintana le dintšhi le ditšhikidi ba feta, ke leseditše maaparathamaga, ke leseditše ba metšega ya diphukubje! Nna re batho ba bo Mpe...

  Ganja 11 FC, established in 1978, is  one of the common denominators for the 10 gentlemen sitting on this table May I have a table for 10 please! A 10-seat table for 'dipoo tša m'thoto' please! Give them an open space for a bit of fresh air The aim is to enjoy this Ga-Mamoloi Affair Let them anecdote the past as homeboys Lest they wreck havoc like renegade cowboys Truth be told, this is no last supper Call it the reconnection of Mogobogobo Upper May I have table for 10 please! Allocate a seat to Mpenene Lepena please! But make sure you remove anything fragile So melodramatic, so energetic, and so agile Classroom was never your favourite place 'Ke kgopela go ya clos' your preferred phrase You'd throw tandrums when denied a request The Mpenene-Kalebe song is your bequest May I have a table for 10 please! Make room for Maripane Mphopho please! As for your amusing relationship with bread corners You'd cripple 2 loaves with no need for partne...

You are my refuge from the city bustle A tranquil home with a tiny rustle A place where Im known without pretence And Bauba 'a Ngoato! signifies my presence Mafefe, you beautiful thing! Wedding songs permeate weekend airwaves Hours earlier the perished met their graves Sounds of 'dumelang ka gae' echo the gravel streets In a place where a lone stranger still greets Mafefe, you beautiful thing! As we parade your grade F roads with pride We realise we've been taken for a ride 'Tšie ga e swane le morogo' we lament As we silently pray for economic betterment Mafefe, you beautiful thing! Motsenela watches majestically, as Mohlapitsi navigates the terrain stoically Mapelane stands guard unappreciated, as Lepelle cruises behind unabated Mafefe, you beautiful thing! Your soil buries victims of vengeance Those who perished due to their allegiece Your trees hide the painful scars of the past As we strive to maintain peace at last Mafefe, you beauti...

Mogo (wild fig tree) Our fig trees are given names: Maakubu, Maposo, Kgaragara, Makitipjane, Lekgeswa, Mogong-o-Moso, Wa ga Tswaledi, Wa ga Mokone etc. We spent our childhood playtimes under these huge trees because they provided shade, fruit, and there was always water from the nearby Ngwaname River All odds worked against your efforts in life You had no one to call 'dad' during your strife No home to call home and relish, And no stable family life to cherish You never had a fair chance in life, my friend! You lived a nomadic life with no options Cared for by strangers of all concoctions You were here today, gone tomorrow Following your mother everywhere in sorrow You never had a fair chance in life, my friend! Then one by one you lost them apace First it was your little sister, and you put a brave face Your mother followed, you still had hope And then it was your brother, and you couldn't cope You never had a fair chance in life, my friend! Feeling alone you...

Bang! Did I deserve to die, For tirelessly exposing a lie? Did I deserve to be shot, For making undercollars hot? Bang! Hee lena Bapedi! Your silence is deafening Sebatakgomo! Your inaction is weakening You may disagree with my fights But still find it in you to stand up for my rights Bang! Are you sure you didnt hear a sound? Not even a bark from my black hound? Where you that deep in sleep? That you missed that baa from my sheep? Bang! They'll peddle a Hani-type conspiracy, These master crafters of herecy Who stood to gain from my demise? Who harboured the most despise? Bang! They'll portray me as a crook Because I removed a worm from their hook They'll celebrate my death Because I interfered with their breath Bang! Am I turning into a sacrificial lamb Simply because I belonged to the other camp Am I going to be forgotten Because of those by whom I was begotten Bang! In my house I fed an Iscariot Who yearned to be a salariat In my car I car...

The 3 Selelepoos (Baubas) Myself and my cousin (Selelepoo Thobejane) and the man after whom we are named (Selelepoo Sebaka) Kgomo e ya tsha! Ba re e gangwa ke mang? E tla gangwa ke mang ge e sa gangwe ke nna Sellelepoo sehlwa se elwa le poo mahlabeng! Ke poo e tšhupu ya mmala phatleng! Ba rego o se e kganyoge bobotse ka šakeng ga e robale! E robala le dinare lenareng; e re ge e tsoga e gašule bja go imelwa ke phoka! Ba ntlhoile babini ba mantshegele dikgakgatha! Bare Bauba o reng a retwa ke mathari rena re tlo retwa neng? Ba re aah! naa ke mahlatse mang a bo Bauba nkego motho ke moloi? Ba re kgarebe tša ga Poo ba itše ba e bona e fologa, ba re e reng ya swana le tša Magadimane? Ba go e tseba ba re aowaowa! yela ke ya ba ga Mashegwana! Ke ya ba ga Sebaka Sedumaedi ! Ke ya batho ba bjala bja go apeiwa ka monoto, le mokgwakgwatha, le modimomore gomme ba tšee peila ba peile!

Mafefe Ngwaname (Moshate), with Mapelane Mountain in the background The beautiful road that brings you home to Mafefe. Known on paper as the Orrie Baragwanath Pass, I prefer to call it the Mafefe Road Mafefe Mogwaneng, with Motsenela Mountain in the background A section of Mohlapitsi River, a perrenial river that runs through Mafefe Village A section of Mohlapitsi River, popularly known as Gemini Ruins of death: remnants of asbestos mining in Mafefe Village Kgoši Setlamorago Thobejane (Ngoato 'a Bauba 'a Dimo 'a Bauba-in brown hat) leading an expedition to climb Motsenela Mountain Waterfalls are a beautiful feature of our rivers in Mafefe