Tributes pour in for Chiepe
28 Jan 2025
Glowing tributes continue to pour in for Dr Gaositwe Chiepe following her death on Sunday.
In her tribute, former cabinet minister and Speaker of the National Assembly, Ms Margaret Nasha reflected on her first encounter with Dr Chiepe, which she said was during her days as a news reporter covering Parliament proceedings.
She said she had the privilege of working with the deceased in many facets adding that she personally drew a lot of inspiration from Dr Chiepe both as a legislator and a diplomat.
She indicated that the late Dr Chiepe stood her ground during Parliament debates and was never intimidated by the dominance of men in Parliament at the time.
“The late Dr Chiepe was a patriot at heart and I still have vivid memories of my first encounters with her during my news reporting days and she would passionately respond to every question I posed during interviews with the aim to fully inform the nation of the country’s developmental strides,” Dr Nasha said.
She described Dr Chiepe as a true stateswoman of unmatched dignity who deepened the bedrock of Botswana’s education system as an educationalist and also cemented the country’s bilateral ties as a diplomat.
Gender activist, Ms Ntombi Setshwaelo, who was at some point Dr Chiepe’s neighbour, described her as a role model to many women adding that her conduct both as a civil servant and a legislator epitomised the strength of a woman.
“She was exemplary that you do not have to be a man to be influential in decision making and she performed excellently with a lot of integrity,” Ms Setshwaelo said.
She said Dr Chiepe was instrumental in advocating for issues of gender equality and equity and she was always an example of what women could be.
As a neighbour, Ms Setshwaelo said the deceased was forever warm to everyone in the neighbourhood and was humorous to all the people she crossed paths with.
“Despite her busy schedule, Dr Chiepe would always avail herself for a chat and a cup of tea where she would share her life experiences that was beneficial to uplifting an individual, so she had that kind of generosity in her,” she said. ENDS
Source : BOPA
Author : Thato Mosinyi
Location : GABORONE
Event : Interview
Date : 28 Jan 2025
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