Kgosi Lucas Manyane Mangope was the leader of the Bontustan (homeland) of the Bophuthatswana. The territory he ruled over was distributed between the Orange Free State (Province) - and North West Province. He was also the founder and leader of the United Christian Democratic Party, a political party based in the North West Province of South Africa.
Mangope attended an Angican mission school most of his school career He matriculated from St. Peter's College, Rosetenville in Johannesburg in 1946. After Matric, he registered for juniour Teaching Diploma at the Diocesan Teachers' Training College in Polokwane (then called Pietersburg). He studied towards a Higher Primary Teacher's Diploma at Bethel College in the Transvaal from 1951. After graduating he started teaching and specialized as an Afrikaans teacher. He taught at secondary school in Mahikeng, Motswedi, Krugersdorp and Potchefstroom and was awaded in 1959 when one of his classes obtained the best results among the competing schools in South Africa. When the Tswana Territory Authority was established in 1961, Mangope became the vice-chairman, working under chief TR Pilane. He was promoted to the chief counsellor of the organization in 1968. He remained in the position until 1972 when he became the first chief Minister of Bophuthatswana. He beame president in 1977, when Bophuthatswana was declared independent by the SOuth African govenment. On 10th February 1988 he was briefly overthrown by members of the military police unit. Mangope was reinstated by the intervension of the South African Defence force. Pik Botha, South Africa's Foreign Minister at the time and members of the transvaal executive council Mac Maharaj removed Mangope from office in March 1994.
After transision to nonracial democracy, Mangope remained active in politics, forming the United Christian Democratic Party in 1997. Party support was confined to the North West province (which contained most of Bophuthatswana), and at its peak it held three seats out of 400 in the National Assembly. In 2014 he was overthrown by the then secretary general and now late Mavis Matladi. A statue of Mangope was erected outside the Bahurutse Boo Manyane tribal office in the North West's Motswedi (his birth Place) to honour him. Mangope died at his home in Motswedi, Lehurutshe on 18th January 2018 at the age of 94. Following his death, officials from the organization expressed wises to establish the statue as a tourist attraction since it was the last one standing of the late former president. The UCDP commemorates him and continues to share his legacy with the world.