09 Oct 2024

Prominent transport and logistics businessman, Mr Seabelo Tlhaselo will be buried at his home village Ramotswa on October 12. He died on October 6.

Botswana Bus Operators Association (BOBOA) chairperson, Mr Tirafalo Mponang said a prayer service would start on October 9 at 5:30pm in Ramotswa at the deceased’s residence.

Mr Mponang said on October 10, there would be a memorial service that would begin at 2pm at Lutheran Church in Ramotswa,  and that the deceased would be taken to his residence in Ramotswa on October 11 before being taken to his final resting place the following day. 

He said Mr Tlhaselo would be remembered as a humorous and peace-loving. He said they became friends before their journey in the public transport sector.

Mr Mponang said they first met through football and that the deceased was playing for Mokgosi Football Club whereas he was with Randall Aces Football Club which was later rebranded to Gaborone Kicks Football Club.

Mr Mponang said their friendship grew beyond football and that later the deceased solicited funds from a company he was working for called Financial Services where he was appointed to disburse loans.

He said Mr Tlhaselo was one of his clients and that his interest was on purchasing buses for his transport business.

He said their friendship grew over the years up until 1987 when he disclosed to the deceased that he was going for further studies at the University of Botswana (UB) to pursue a degree in Business and Commerce, and and Mr Tlhaselo would visit him at the university if he wanted assistance on any matter.

Mr Mponang said after completing his studies he was promoted within the bank, but Mr Tlhaselo encouraged him to consider joining him in the transport sector.

He said he ultimately quit to join Mr Tlhaselo and others in the transport business and that they had to reason with government over transport issues, which led them to register the bus operators association in 2009 and that he was appointed its chairperson.

He said when VAT was introduced in 2010 they unanimously agreed as an association that they would not charge their passengers VAT and opted not to claim it from government.

Mr Mponang said government refused their offer and that a case was logged against them. He said during trial, Mr Tlhaselo decided to pledge 10 per cent of the levy he charged to pay government.

He said he reasoned that if they won it would be fair on both parties. Mr Mponang noted that the association ended up winning the case, but that Mr Tlhaselo never went back to claim against government. He added that he was also generous and kind to his passengers, noting that he was a man of many firsts in the transport sector.

Moreover, Mr Mponang noted that Seabelo’s Express was the first to offer holiday discounts to passengers and stopped receiving payments from people with disabilities commuting in his buses. Furthermore, he said Mr Tlhaselo’s buses were the first to offer complimentary snacks to passengers travelling long distances, adding that it was a trendsetter in the sector.

He said Mr Tlhaselo ultimately purchased trucks which later helped government to provide aid to the Democratic Republic of Congo. He also noted that Mr Tlhaselo was an avid Zebras supporters and that his buses transported often transported national team supporters to the stadium.

Mr Mponang said all the gestures proved beyond doubt that Mr Tlhaselo loved his country and Batswana. Mr Tlhaselo was born and bred in Ramotswa, but his footprints cut across Botswana and Africa.  ENDS