Volume 65 December 2026-January 2026 : Social

 

In 1983, Monanki Gosiame, Monanki Gosiame, aged 29, got the shock of her life when she was told she would now start

serving tea to the then President of Botswana, Sir Ketumile Masire, as well as clean his office on a daily basis.

“That day I had to be excused to go home early to nurse my frozen emotions,” says Monanki in an interview with Kutlwano.

She says the prospects were overwhelming and among her least expectations.

How on earth was an ordinary Motswana woman, with a strong rural upbringing suddenly become a presidential waitress, she imagined before breaking down in tears.

“I literally cried out of mixed feelings of shock, fear, uneasiness, and excitement,”she recalls.

Although the next day seemed too fast for Monanki, she says her nerves had cooled down a bit as she started her new role.

She says it was Rra Gaone’s humility that did the trick; he said to her: ‘Hallow darling,’ and she chilled completely.

Now aged 59, Monanki still remembers vividly how in November of that year shefirst entered the corridors of the Office of the President (OP) in Gaborone to start work as a cleaner.

She says it had never crossed her mind that she could ever come face-to-face with the country’s top most citizen, let alone within her first year of employment and on a daily basis for that matter.

Affectionately referred to as Ausi Monanki, she says she will never forget that day in her life.

At the time, she says tea forthe president was prepared from the nearby Parliament building.

However, Rra Gaone preferred to have his tea prepared within OP so it was served while still hot .

The tea lady found this arrangement quite tolerable because she did not have to shuttle to and fro the National Assembly to prepare and deliver the president’s tea.

While Monanki was gradually catching quite tolerable because she did not have to up on her new role at OP, a little distance shuttle to and fro the National Assembly to away at State House, her colleague, prepare and deliver the president’s tea.

Bontleng Mokotedi, was confidently  working as a maid for the president and hisfamily.Employed as a cleaner at the State Housein 1979, during the era of Botswana’s first president, the late Sir Seretse Khama,Mokotedi was now a relatively old hand.

She says she served all the four successive presidents with enthusiasm, dignity and dedication.

Although initially her task wasto clean the presidential private office, her diligence led to the then First Lady, thelate Ruth Khama, recommending for her redeployment to do domestic work at the State House.

She says although it was a bit of a surprise,she was very much elated particularlybecause she loved cooking, and here was anopportunity to prove herself as a good cook.

One of her high moments at StateHouse, she remembers, was the day QueenElizabeth II had lodged at the State Guest House during her state visit to Botswana.Cleaning the room in which the English Queen had lodged was a sensation, she says.

When the Queen left, she gave State House employees a ‘Thank you’ note and allowed them to pose for photos with her and her husband Prince Philip.

Unfortunately her photo has since gone missing due to the passage of time, she says.

She also remembers the day Sir Seretse passed on as a sad one at State House and beyond.

However, she says she continued to serve Lady Khama until she relocated from the State House.

Other highlights were the trips they used to be part of during Sir Ketumile’s time.

They would travel around the country in caravans as the president addressed kgotla meetings to make sure he was well fed.

The highlights for Monanki, as she recalls with fond memories, include the day she made Five Roses tea for former South African President, Nelson Mandela, who was visiting Botswana.

Monanki says she was with Sir Ketumile until the end of 1998 when he relinquished state power.

There was a big farewell session the outgoing president had thrown for OP employees in the conference room.

Here she told the audience how he would miss them,“particularly Ausi Monanki,” amidst clapsof hands.

When Festus Mogae arrived at OP in April 1998, Monanki was not perturbed;she was now a seasoned and experienced tea lady. However, Mogae was a bit unsettling because he came across as a busy person who would hardly pass a joke like his predecessor. “But he was equally humble,”she quickly points out.

One of the frequent visitors during thistime was the US ambassador to Botswana,Joseph Huggins, who always showed a lot of love and respect for the Mogaes, says the tea lady.

The two ladies’ work may not have been that high profile but certainly they are today’s proud individuals who have had the rare opportunity of interacting with Botswana’s heads of state on a daily basis.

Monanki says with time she realised that heads of state are just as human as she is; particularly Rra Gaone who was humble, jocular, and sociable.

Both women say working with thepresidents has given them the opportunity to learn the things they probably could never have learnt elsewhere.

For instance, Monanki says today she is a person ofchoice whenever it comes to handling VIPs at family level functions.

Having only reached standard five at school, Ausi Monanki says the little English she had learnt was enough to see her through with non-Setswana speakingVIPs.

On the other hand, Mokotedi says she has learnt house-keeping so much that she keeps her house clean at all times.

Interestingly, Monanki’s daughter is now an adult yet she has never seen the presidentat close range.

Her mother says when her daughter was growing up she aspired to oneday be a president’s tea lady, just like her mother.

She regrets that she was transferred within six months of the current president, Lt Gen. Seretse Khama Ian Khama’s arrival at OP. She was promoted to becomea switchboard operator, where she is stillserving.

Both ladies say the presidents were more like parents to them as they used to guidethem, especially the First Ladies.

Now 54, Mokotedi has since been transferred from State House to serve as a Messenger in the Office of the President.

The two ladies are proud that they have contributed to the growth of Botswana by serving and nurturing the needs of the men who led and continue to lead this country to good health and prosperity.

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