02 Jul 2024

Sir Seretse Khama Day commemorations held in Gaborone on Monday, saw a sampling of the tributes and sharing of diverse voices about Botswana’s first President, Sir Seretse Khama, particularly his humour.

Among the speakers was Mr Pelotelele Tlhaodi, who was Mayor of Gaborone back in 1979 and whose strongest conviction was that the late Sir Seretse Khama’s humourous and asserting insights demonstrated his humility, love and care for the people.

Mr Tlhaodi remembered how when he was mayor, some Extension 2 residents refused to pay rates and taxes, even after countless pleading with them which resulted in a decision to evict some tenants.

He narrated how he was then summoned to the State House by Sir Seretse Khama for apparently locking out some tenants, among them some lactating mothers, for failure to pay rates.

“Gatwe o lotleletse batsetsi ko ntle,” meaning ‘it’s alleged that you have locked lactating mothers outside’ were Sir Seretse’s words when he called Mr Tlhaodi to explain his decision.

Mr Tlhaodi narrated how at the time he had ordered the treasurer to go around the residency for three consecutive days announcing that on the third day tenants would be evicted and houses would be locked for good, after which they announced that the council treasurer would be on standby from 4:30pm to 7pm to allow residents to honour their payments.

Another point of interaction with Sir Seretse Khama, Mr Tlhaodi said was during a bank strike in 1975 and  he had to see the statesman for intervention.

“To our surprise he told us that ‘I cannot talk to you at gun point,’ and we gave up,” he said.

Still remembering some of the interaction, Mr Tlhaodi said on September 30 and in preparation for the mayor’s ball celebrations, he had invited some band, Skierus, which unfortunately someone else had on the same day also booked the group for a hefty pay.

He said the band notified them that they would not be able to honour the invitation and so on a Monday, he wrote a letter to the band, which somewhat read, ‘to the Skerus Band members, singley and individually you are banned from performing in Gaborone as long as I am still the mayor.”

Mr Tlhaodi said he had copied the letter to the President through his permanent secretary, and yet again on the third day, the President called him and asked, ‘Nnaare wena dithatha tse dikanakana o di tsaya kae?’ which directly translated ‘where do you get such huge powers’. 

Also, he shared how one day he was with a couple of men, among them Mr Philip Matante of Botswana Peoples Party, who mocked the President saying ‘he was no longer in the driver’s seat and has let himself to be remotely controlled by a certain somebody’. 

He said in response Sir Seretse Khama said, ‘there is rumour mongering in town that there is a certain goliath who stands between me and my ministers to the extent that my ministers can no longer see me. Nothing can be furthest from the truth than this,” …and the audience burst into laughter.

Another humourous sharing he said was when one day the President had told him that Sir Ketumile Masire had requested that he be allowed to further his studies and in the interim a Vice President be appointed.

Apparently, he said the President agreed and days later he called Sir Ketumile Masire and told him that he had managed to find a Vice President who will hold fort during his absence.

However, Mr Tlhaodi said the agreement was said to suffice only if Sir Ketumile Masire would find an interim President and took Sir Seretse Khama with him to where he was going to further his studies.

“This was indeed how the first President would argue issues on the table, allowing one to realise that what they wanted cannot be achieved,” Mr Tlhaodi said. Ends