Volume 65 December 2026-January 2026 : Social

When we talk of the birth of Kutlwano, there is one individual who deserves special mention. He is intrinsically linked to the event in no small way.

He was not the first editor of Kutlwano. Nor did he conceive of the idea to launch a magazine of this nature. Neither did he serve in the initial board of the then fledging magazine.

But we owe it to him that Kutlwano is called Kutlwano and not something else. Well, they say a rose by any other name will sound sweet but the name Kutlwano is historic, something somewhat, interwoven into the literary culture of the people.

It sailed through ages without losing flavour or palatability. In a way the name symbolised a turning point in the era of decolonisation or rather transition into a new political order. It cannot therefore be taken for granted.

So among the many names that were submitted for consideration, that of Kutlwano or Mutual Understanding, as the magazine is known in English, won the show.

Mr Daniel Kgoreleco Mayisela, then a messenger in the secretariat, that is to mean, the headquarters of the British colonial administration, was called to the Department of Information, one morning in 1961 to be told simply that it was his entry which best summerised the objective for which the magazine had set itself to achieve.

Mr Mayisela, now 55, recalls how excited he was to name the first magazine of the Government. “I obviously felt it was great. I was really thrilled and happy,” Mr Mayisela said.

He was given a pat on the back and when the magazine hit the news market in January 1962, he could clearly virtualise the realisation of his effort.

The word Kutlwano was neatly engraved in the masthead. He had made a name for himself, he thought. Asked what he had in mind when he submitted this title, he said: “it took Kutlwano to mean a spirit of cooperation and unity which we should aspire to achieve.

This is what I wanted to see prevailing. “Plus it was a common knowledge that “Bechuanaland” would soon evolve into a self-governing territory and then to independence. The image I wanted to see of a free Botswana was one of peace, harmony and stability. That is expressly implied in the word KUTLWANO.”

Mr Mayisela may also be credited in other aspects. He is one of the longest serving officers in the government.He worked for 15 years in in the colonial administration and has already completed a further circle of 15 years in the government of Botswana.

Born in Mafikeng in September, 1927, he joined the colonial administration on the 8^th of March, 1951 as a messenger. In 1972, he joined the Department of Information (now Information and Broadcasting Services), as a roneo machine operator mainly duplicating copies of the Botswana Daily New before the newspaper assumed the present format.

Later he moved to the publications division. He is now in charge of overall distribution of the Botswana Daily News Kutlwano and other publications of the department. His work involves seeing to it that these publications are properly shelved, parcelled and sent to their respective destinations in and outside Botswana.

“My section charged with the responsibility of keeping records of publications, performs an important role since people do come here looking for back issues to check on news and advertisements which had been printed a long time ago,” Mr Mayisela says while busily sorting out papers for dispatch.

Mr Mayisela is endowed with an unimposed sense of humour and a buoyant use of figures of speech.This use of figurative language tends to make his speech colourful and lively. Apt idioms and metaphors find ample room in his language.

He is also a linguist. His ability to learn quickly and retentively is indicative of the fact that he is a fluent speaker of seven languages. He says most of them are African languages.

But when all is said and done, it should be remembered that the name KUTLWANO as described the role of of a Botswana Government magazine is the brainchild of none other than Mr Daniel Kgoreleco Mayisela, still with the government in the Department of Information and Broadcasting.   ENDS

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