12 Nov 2019

To Kanye natives, the history of Seepapitso Senior Secondary School would not be complete without mention of a former Geography teacher.

Many know him as that strange man whom they have never seen donning a jacket or jersey, despite the extremely chilly winters that Kanye is known for. But 77-year old Mr Eliphas Moyo considers himself as a normal person who always had a natural liking for education.

Born in 1942 in then Southern Rhodesia, Mr Moyo was fortunate to be one of the first Africans to attend Fletcher High school in Gweru, after which he proceeded to train as a teacher at the University of London in 1963.

“Back then we did not have much of a choice because teaching and other common professions were the only ones available to us while other courses were perceived to be for white people,” he reminisces about his life in the colour bar era.

After practising as a teacher in his home country for six years, political instability forced him to seek for greener pastures in Botswana, where his first stop was Lobatse Secondary School. Having experience as an all-subjects teacher, he easily executed his role as a Mathematics and Geography teacher for 19 years until he moved to Seepapitso in 1993.

It was at the latter school that his character attracted various interpretations from the student community and the public in general.

Being a respecter of time and order, Mr Moyo’s voice could be heard echoing every morning urging students to hurry to school. Actually, this habit had earned him the nick name; Hurry Up, among the students.

Apart from his interesting Setswana accent and sense of humour both within and outside the classroom set-up, he displayed himself as someone who did not follow trends, hence appeared to be a strange character to some.

Many would recall his famous Combi which had curtains and was perceived to be used as a kitchen as well.

“Even now, that combi is still in a fair condition and moving. I actually bought it for R1500 while still working at Lobatse secondary school. Actually I used my savings to buy it because at the time we were earning around R90 per month,” he says with a grin.

Even though he always braced the chilly mornings to stand at the school gate with a stick throughout his stint at Seepapitso, the Geography and Development Studies teacher was always without a jersey or jacket. Actually, he was either putting on a short sleeved shirt or folded long sleeves at all times. He even admits that he does not know the price of such warm garments since he does not remember himself buying one. To him, all days are the same to his body hence he doesn’t find the need to cushion against the weather.

Just before his retirement from formal employment, the government introduced BOCODOL and being an active and passionate teacher that he is, he grabbed the opportunity with both hands and worked there part-time, a job that he still holds to date. His love for education also saw him join Kidz Academy International School in 2009, where he started off as a Geograhy teacher and Librarian, but currently a senior teacher with the Geography department.

Throughout his career as an educator, he singles out working with President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi and others to develop a draft curriculum for Social Studies in Junior schools as one of his highlights.

“We were chosen alongside others to develop a draft for Social Studies in 1986, which was to be introduced in place of History and Geography for Junior Certificate level. We were amazed by Mr Masisi’s command of the English language and for that we admired him,” he vividly recalls.

The permanent citizen of Mepakong ward also appreciates the government’s efforts to grow the education system such that there are a variety of institutions offering a wide range of skills. He does not find reason why Batswana should not be educated, given the various opportunities at hand.

He even finds it interesting that being a teacher in the present era comes with countless teaching tools at your disposal, technology included. To him, teaching should not only be a job but a calling to impact on the lives of learners. “Education is an empowerment programme where as a teacher you take responsibility to ensure a positive impact on the lives of your students,” he advises.

His all-time belief is that education is the core of an individual and society has driven him to make it his mandate to collect the DailyNews from Department of Information Services on daily basis to equip Kidz Academy library as well as give a few copies to other individuals around the village. He has confidence that the paper’s content on government policies can go a long in impacting on the lives of the young and old alike. ENDS