Kutlwano Magazine

A Race Well Run

Source : Kutlwano

Author : Thelma Khunwane

Location : Gaborone

Event : Social

Lt. Gen. Mompati Sebogodi Merafhe retired as Vice President of Botswana and Mahalapye West Member of Parliament on July 31. Kutlwano staffer takes a sneak peek at the life of a son of the soil who spent almost his entire life devoted to serving his people with unparalleled distinction, grit and a selfless spirit. “People are very fond of giving away what they need most themselves. It is what I call the depth of generosity,” writes Oscar Wilde in his book – The Picture of Dorian Gray.

The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines generosity as willingness to give somebody money, gifts, time or kindness freely and Wilde must have had former Vice President, Lt. Gen. Mompati Sebogodi Merafhe in mind when he penned this down. Time, more than half a Century, is what the 76-year old Lt. Gen. Merafhe was fond of giving Batswana freely as he dedicated almost his entire life to serving the country in different capacities. Of course some may argue that as a civil servant and later a politician, he was paid for his work but one cannot measure the value the country derived from his service in the army, parliament and government in monetary terms. The cliché is that it is priceless.

Thus, born in Serowe on June 6, 1936, the father of five chose to forego most of his private life to generously dedicate his precious time to serving the nation and contributing to its development to become the envy of the African continent as a beacon of democracy, political stability and economic prosperity. His first port of call was the Bechuanaland Protectorate Police after he ventured out from the Bamangwato capital to look for a job and landed a police constable post in 1960. Lt. Gen. Merafhe would rise through the ranks after graduating from Bramshill Police College in Dishforth, United Kingdom after undertaking an Overseas Police Officers Command Course in 1970 to become deputy commissioner in September 1971.

That marked the beginning of an illustrious career spanning 17 years in the Police Service (1960-1977), culminating in the establishment of the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) where he became its founding commander in 1977. For the next 12 years Lt. Gen. Merafhe swore to protect Batswana and the country from the enemy and notwithstanding occasional raids that claimed some lives from apartheid South Africa commandos in the 1980s, Botswana remained a relatively peaceful country in a continent otherwise characterized by military coups and political turmoil. But in 1989 it was time to move on and seek new challenges, whereupon he joined politics as Specially Elected Member of Parliament. He was also appointed Minister for Presidential Affairs and Public Administration, a position he held until 1994 when he was re-deployed to become Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. Besides his sterling performance as both MP and member of the executive, Lt Gen. Merafhe no doubt emerged as a shrewd and quintessential diplomat during his stint at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

He is an instantly recognisable figure to those who have seen him in international affairs, renowned for consistently articulating Botswana’s interests and Africa’s position on global issues at various fora. Not only did this earn him international acclaim but also saw him assuming reigns of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) as chairman from 1998 to 2002. He is credited for the Group’s successful and decisive intervention in political and socio-economic situations of some member states. Lt. Gen Merafhe also served as President in the Office of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States in 2003/2004. He has also received the World Citizen Award (The Bahamas) and the Honorary Professorship from Shanghai Normal University, China.

Back home, Lt Gen. Merafhe’s interests were not only confined to politics. He was a keen sports administrator who was once at the helm of the Botswana National Sports Council as well as Botswana National Olympic Committee as chairman from 1980-1989. Before then, he was Botswana Amateur Athletics Association (BAAA) president from 1978 to 1980. Some organisations such as the now Botswana Athletics Association (BAA), Botswana Defence Force (BDF) Tennis Club, BDF XI Football Club, Gaborone Choral Choir, Bamalete Lutheran Hospital Hospice and Tshole Trust had enjoyed his contribution as patron. His influence transcended the country’s borders as he also served in the Association of the National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) as an executive committee member representing Southern Africa from 1984 to 1989. In 1987 he became President of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Southern Africa, a position he held for two years.

He was also an Executive Member of the Supreme Council for Sports in Africa (1980-1989) and the Honorary Member of Supreme Council for Sports in Africa. Meanwhile, President Lt. Gen. Seretse Khama Ian Khama first appointed Lt Gen. Merafhe Vice President in April 1, 2008 and would re-appoint him to the position after re-election as Mahalapye West MP in 2009. For the next four years in the second highest office in the land, Lt. Gen Merafhe would chair various committees, including the Cabinet Committee on Economy and Employment, which ensures implementation of various government projects. Lt. Gen. Merafhe was also coordinating government flagship programmes such as the Poverty Eradication and Economic Diversification Drive, which seek to propel Botswana from being a middle-income to become a high-income as well as knowledge-based economy.

Given his enormous contribution to the development of the country saw President Lt. Gen. Khama recently bestowed him the highest honour in the land - Naledi Ya Botswana (NYB). While his desire was to retire in 2014, ill-health forced the senior citizen to retire from politics early. Now, as he begins a new chapter in life, Lt Gen. Merafhe might still be in disbelief that 50 years have come and gone and maybe too hard for some to fathom that he has been there for so many years. He has been there, done that! While some Batswana are sad to see him leave, their hope and wish is that he enjoys every moment of his retirement. Undoubtedly, as Wilde puts it, this is the depth of generosity of the legacy that Lt. Gen. Merafhe has bequeathed Batswana as a selfless and dedicated son of the soil. Now the time he so fondly gave away to Batswana in the spirit of serving his country will be his to rest and spend with family. President Khama has also called on the nation to join him in wishing his former lieutenant well as he retreats home. ENDS