High profile historic burial of Pitseng Gaoberekwe
Source : Kutlwano
Author : Kutlwano
Location : Gaborone
Event : Interview
For an ordinary indigenous Mosarwa man who laid in a mortuary for almost three years, his burial delayed by litigations, his family covered by a dark cloud of uncertainty, he was finally a given a burial fit for a King in his ancestral land of Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR), Metsiamanong settlement on 10 December 2024.
In a rather rare occurrence and perhaps the first of its kind, while reading his speech during his inaugural State of the Nation Address, President Duma Boko’s eyes welled with tears which scrolled down his cheeks, his voice began to shake with conviction as he gave the late Pitseng Gaoberekwe’s family the right to bury their father in his ancestral land on International Human Rights Day on the 10th of December 2024.
President Boko lifted the dark cloud which hovered above the family for years putting an end to an era of the family’s anguish and agony during the first meeting of the first session of the 13th Parliament held on 19th November.
“One of our people is unable to rest far from his home country road hear him yearn please take him home to the place he belongs. These words hit my soul like bolts of lightning and now they leave my lips and they will carry the soul of the son of the soil home to CKGR where he can finally find some rest,” President Boko had said.
True to the President’s words, the late Gaoberekwe was finally given a historic state funeral at his ancestral land Metsiamanong settlement in the heart of the CKGR in a high profile memorial service and funeral service which was attended by President Boko himself, Vice President Ndaba Gaolathe, cabinet ministers, United Nations representatives, international human rights organisations, First People of the Kalahari Chairperson Roy Sesana, international and local media, Basarwa from other settlements in the CKGR as well mourners from far and yonder.
The then Government through court judgments had denied the late Pitseng Gaoberekwe the dignity of a burial in his ancestral land and now under the new administration led by President Boko, he exercised his executive powers of setting aside all those judgments and granting Basarwa the right to bury Pitseng Gaoberekwe at his ancestral land. “In this ceaseless quest to uphold dignity, we are unshakable,” the President had said.
During memorial service, President Boko had perhaps instructed his convoy to stop a few meters away from Gaoberekwe’s yard and he came walking the sandy golden-brown soils of CKGR to attend the memorial service. Indeed it was an emotional and rather gloomy spectacle as the body of the late Gaoberekwe alighted onto his ancestral land by air through the Botswana Defense Force military helicopter escorted by a Botswana Police Services helicopter. True to her word, Joyce Funeral Parlor manager Ms Joyce Dikkop who had been his caretaker for the past three had accompanied the corpse.
From the helicopter, cabinet ministers then carried the body of Gaoberekwe carefully placed in a royal white coffin into an iconic traditional grass thatched Basarwa hut at the deceased’s homestead. It was not easy of family members as the unfolding ceremonial events sent the bereaved to cry out afresh uncontrollably rolling on the floor in anguish, and sobbing heavily and the Zion Christian Church pastors were there to condole with the word.
That evening, President Boko sat around bonfire with Basarwa men as per Basarwa tradition in the yard of the deceased amidst the warm burning logs of wood which glowed with bright ambers.
He reminded the men surrounding the bonfire that he along with Minister of Justice, Nelson Ramaotwana have fought court cases vehemently advocating for the rights of Basarwa over the years as attorneys which included relocation from their ancestral land, and water rights, “The road was long and rough. We have fought for them to be allowed to equip boreholes in the game reserve for the people to drink but it was an uphill battle, some cases we won while some we lost. Adhering and implementing court rulings by government was a challenge as we ended up having to go back to square one again, there was no difference in their lives after we won,” he said.
“A letsatsi le e nne bokao, sesupo, kgolagano e ntsha ya go tlotla, go tlotlomatsa go dibela ditshwanelo tsa lona tse le di lwetseng la di dibela go le thata. Gompieno kgololesego e gorogile e mo diatleng tsa lona, ke lemoga lotlhe ba re loleng dintwa tse mmogo,” said President Boko.
A family representative Nare Gaoberekwe appreciated President Boko’s unflinching resolve for fighting for the rights of Basarwa over the years. He appreciated that the country was led by a President who was the people’s advocate, a human rights attorney who granted minority group their rights and civil liberties. He thus showered President Boko’s reign as a state President with blessings.
For United Nations resident coordinator for Botswana, Mr Zia Choudhury, indigenous people also need to enjoy the human rights guaranteed to all people of the world under the law entitled to them simply by the fact that they are human beings. He lauded Botswana for upholding the rights of indigenous people.
“On this 10th of December we lay to rest uncle Pitseng three years too late but nonetheless today it is International Human Rights Day and so it is befitting, it is meaningful because his struggle, your struggle, the struggle of indigenous people around the world it is an honor and privilege to witness this milestone in our collective struggle globally for human rights,” he had at Metsiamanong during commemoration of International Human Rights Day which coincided with the late Gaoberekwe’s burial. ENDS
Teaser:
"One of our people is unable to rest far from his home country road hear him yearn please take him home to the place he belongs. These words hit my soul like bolts of lightning and now they leave my lips and they will carry the soul of the son of the soil home to CKGR where he can finally find some rest."
Advocate President Duma Boko.
