Page "Khama III" Paragraph 19

Tshekedi opposed the marriage on the grounds that under Tswana custom a chief could not marry simply as he pleased.

He was a servant of the people ; the chieftaincy itself was at stake.

Seretse would not budge in his desire to marry Ruth ( which he did while exiled in Britain in 1948 ), and tribal opinion about the marriage basically split evenly along demographic lines-older people went with Tshekedi, the younger with Seretse.

In the end, British authorities exiled both men ( Tshekedi from the Bamangwato territory, Seretse from the Protectorate altogether ).

Rioting broke out and a number of people were killed.