By Daluxolo Moloantoa – The Bakgatla-ba-Mmakau community laid to rest Kgosi Patrick Banatso Motsepe at the Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church in Mmakau on Saturday, 13 December 2025. The funeral Mass was presided over by his nephew, Fr Sefiri Motsepe, and attended by clergy, members of the royal family, traditional leaders, and local community members.
Kgosi Patrick Banatso Motsepe completed his entire schooling at the Catholic mission, where he also served as an altar boy during his youth. He maintained a close association with the Church throughout his life and was actively involved in parish life and governance. From 1989 to 1990, he served as Chairman of the Parish Pastoral Council (PPC) under the leadership of the then parish priest, Fr Michael D’Annucci, contributing to parish administration and pastoral coordination.
He came from a family with a longstanding role in traditional leadership. His older brother, Kgosi Pasi Motsepe, was inaugurated as chief in 1977 by Archbishop George Daniel, in the presence of the then Bophuthatswana leader, Chief Lucas Mangope, and members of his cabinet.
Kgosi Patrick Banatso Motsepe was a strong supporter of the Southern Cross Magazine, which he commended for “maintaining our Catholic ethos pre- and post-Vatican II, as I lived long enough to witness the transition.” Tributes were received from other Batswana clans, the Stigmatine Fathers, and the Sisters of Mercy, acknowledging his service to both the Church and the Bakgatla-ba-Mmakau community.
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