The Tale of Sholana and Katlego

The tragic tale of two Lovers.

It was with a very special permission that we were allowed to accompany two Anti-Poaching rangers on one of their foot patrols.

I spoke of this opportunity before. 
My repeating parts of it now, has a very extraordinary reason.

The route brought us partially along the shores of the Chobe river.

The two rangers to whom we were attached spoke little English and neither John, nor I spoke one word of “Tswana.”

The Rangers introduced themselves: "I am Akanyang. I am leader. I say, You do” Then he added: “Please.”

“My name, Baruti. Said the other ranger.

We shook hands while we told them our names.

Early on in our hike, we came upon the remains of a Sable Antelope. Only the curved horns and the upper part of the skull had remained.

“What might have happened to the rest of the bones?” John mused.

“Meat eaten by Lion, Vultures, Jackal, and Hyena. Hyena also eat all bones. Much strong jaw” Akanyang explained.

We saw many animals, but all only from a distance.

Baruti explained: “When walk, animal smell and run away. When in Auto animal ony smell stink from Auto, no can smell human. Animal no fear auto smell, no run away.”

“I could not have explained it better” John said.

In spite of this limitation, the hike was wonderful and for some reason, John and I became somewhat pensive. When one is so close to Nature, one sees and smells and therefore feels with greater intensity.

We had walked for about two hours, when we came to a reedy area.

Down there, on the edge of a field of reeds, stood a hut, which a woman, carrying a child on her back was about to enter.

Akanyang called out to her and waved..

She waved in reply and stopped.

Akanyang took a heavy backpack from his shoulders and walked down to the woman.

Baruti waved and shouted, what might have been a greeting.

We sat on the log of a fallen tree, and Baruti told us the story of Sholana:

Sholana was the undisputed Beauty of her tribe and the tall, handsome Katlego had his eyes on her for some time now.

In an isolated area, right on the edge of the reed bed, Sholana built her house.

When Katlego asked her to marry him, she took him by the hand and lead him to her house.

“This is where we shall live?”

“Yes” he said and his voice shook a bit. “This is where we shall live”

People said that Katlego and Sholana were the handsomest and happiest couple of them all.

Two children were born and happiness knew no bounds.

Katlego joyned the Chobe Rangers .

Till one day, Katlego did not return from a fishing trip in his handmade canoe-like single boat.

Sholana walked overland to her tribe and asked for help in finding her husband.

Every able-bodied male moved out and they searched on land and they searched on the water.

They found him. His boat overturned and destroyed by what could only have been a hippo, and his body torn by the sudden, powerful body revolutions of a mighty Crock.

The women took Sholana into their care.

The men sewed the remains of Katlego into the skin of a black bull and the tribe commemorated one of their finest friends in solemn burial ritual.

Sholana never saw the destroyed body of her beloved and therefore she always remembered the tall, strong, gentle man who was her love and her life.

When Baruti had finished telling the story of these two passionate lovers, in his fragmented English, tears ran down his cheeks and John and I found it hard to swallow.

Akanyang had delivered the weekly supply of all that was needed. He returned to us.

Our “Anti-Poachers-Ranger" hike continued in silence.

This is why I wanted to tell you this story, separately, with specific attention to the picture of Sholana, carrying one of her children on her back, approaching what still was her home.

At the moment I took this image, I knew nothing of this tragic tale.

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