King loses his head

FOR the second time in just over a hundred years, King Mamphoku Makgoba has lost his head. Chief of the now dispersed Tlou, a Sotho tribe, King Makgoba was beheaded in 1894 by forces under Commandant General Piet Joubert during the bloody Makgoba-Boer war fought between 1889 and 1895. Now a bronze bust erected in his honour and unveiled last September has been stolen from a memorial just outside Haenertsburg village in the Magoebaskloof district of the Northern Province. Debby Tattersall, tourist officer for Bjatladi, the Haenertsburg tourism association, said, "We have no idea who has stolen it - or why. Erecting the bust was a gesture of goodwill and it was located on the fringes of land that once belonged to his clan. "As part of Bjatladi's work with local communities, we became involved in the inauguration of the present king of the Makgoba, Kgosi Makgoba and thereafter approached local businesses for sponsorship. The bust was sponsored by Mr Jan Moolman, managing director of the Moolman group as well as the Hillary and Pratt families who have business interests here in the Northern province." Moolman has offered a reward of R1 000 for information leading to recovery of the bust, estimated to be worth R25 000. Call +27 15 276-4472. (Elizabeth Sheridan)