'The time has come' First female paramount chief installed in

RAMOTSWA, Botswana -- Draped in a ceremonial leopard skin, a former bank manager was installed as the first female paramount chief in Botswana Saturday, one of the few women in traditional African society to hold such a high position.

Mosadi Seboko took over as the highest-ranking chief of the Balete people in a five-hour celebration attended by thousands, including some of the country's top political and religious figures.

One of eight such traditional leaders in the country, she will preside over community matters concerning Botswana's 30,000-strong Balete community.

"She is a born chief. She is calm, she is caring ... she is intelligent," said Leabile Mokgosi, a Balete elder who is also her uncle.

Daughter of former chief

Seboko is the daughter of the former paramount chief of the Balete people. She was appointed by Balete elders after her brother died in the office.

Women leaders in traditional society are rare on the continent, where men have tended to hold the reins of power. Botswana has never before had a female paramount chief, here a position normally passed down from father to son.

Seboko, said by relatives to be about 50, is among two women chiefs in the country's 15-member House of Chiefs, where she has been appointed chairperson. The House of Chiefs advises the government on matters of Botswana custom and tribal property. It includes the paramount chiefs of Botswana's eight tribal groups.

Thousands gathered in the rural village of Ramotswa, about 20 miles south of the capital, Gaborone, to get a peek of the new paramount chief during the five-hour ceremony attended by the president of Botswana, priests, chiefs, diplomats and the community.

The sound of cheers and the echoes of ululating women and choirs singing "She's the chief" thundered into a cloudless sky as Seboko, wearing a pale pink silk suit and a rope of pearls, waved from under the leopard skin, which signifies supreme authority.

In her hands she held a shield and a spear.

"Use it if troubles come, but it's best to use your mouth to fight," said one of her uncles, Mareko Mosiele, as he handed her the spear.

Seboko, speaking from the podium, spoke of working within tradition while moving forward.

"I feel honored and humbled to be part of a tradition and history," she said. "Rally beside me with tolerance as we take the Balete forward."

At a feast following the ceremony, 70-year-old Galatwe Kgari reflected on seeing a woman paramount chief in his lifetime.

"Before the time had not yet come, now the time has come for a woman to be leader," Kgari said.

then rejoined his place in line to choose from steaming pots of chicken stew, corn porridge, spinach and rice.

Cattle, a symbol of wealth in Botswana as in much of southern Africa, are traditionally given as gifts.

But keeping in line with new traditions, the new chief was presented with a silver Toyota four-by-four pickup truck filled with more gifts -- a washing machine, vacuum cleaner, computer and printer.