30 Jan 2025

The late former cabinet minister, Dr Gaositwe Chiepe introduced the concept of ‘taking services to the people’ during her time.

Taking services to the people gained popularity in recent year hence  some think it is a new initiative.  Dr Chiepe implemented it in the early years to drive service delivery in the remotest areas.

Kgosi Mmopi Morwakwena, who was also her neighbour, said as many elderly people stayed in farmlands, Dr Chiepe ensured that health services were delivered there.

When she was a Member of Parliament for Serowe South, she funded the construction of a clinic at Kgaswe farmlands, which is to date affectionately called ‘Mma Chiepe’s clinic’.

She made significant developmental changes in the farmlands by introducing self -reliance programmes.

Through her influence, a bridge was developed at Morontshe farmlands and Moiyabana which was aimed to ease traveling at the farmlands.

Kgosi Morwakwena who regarded Dr Chiepe as his aunt, said the late minister was the first woman to master gun shooting.

“When she went on a trip, she would bring us game meat and we knew she was the one who fired the shot,” he said.

For his part, Kgosi Bakae Khumo of Basimane ward in Serowe, said he met  Dr Chiepe as an education officer when he was a teacher.

Kgosi Khumo said teachers earned a lot of respect from members of the community during her time because she believed that teachers should not only serve as role models to their learners but to all members of the community.

Teachers were not supposed to be seen in liquor outlets during her time.

Narrating with so much love and respect for the teaching career, he indicated that Dr Chiepe was a very strict education officer, who believed that female teachers should not wear short sleeved dresses or shirts.

“She used to tour schools unannounced and would not even report to the school head on arrival, but would just be seen on the school corridors touring classes,” he said.

Kgosi Khumo said at that time schools produced good results and teachers accounted for poor performance.

Teachers, he said, were very passionate with their work and were proud of their learners.

Most of the teachers then, did not have proper qualifications but their performance was exceptional, he narrated.

“Today Botswana prides itself with high literacy rate because of Mma Chiepe,” he said.

Kgosi Topo Sebina of Sebina ward, who was a cousin to Dr Chiepe, said the educationist motivated a lot of her family members to excel in studies and assume higher positions.

Kgosi Sebina said people like Dr David Sebina, Dr Peter Sebina, Dr Jaone Sebina and Ms Tebelelo Seretse were motivated to perform to their level best to secure themselves a better future as well as venture into politics.

He said Dr Chiepe was fond of a traditional lifestyle and believed in developing roads in the farmlands.

Kgosi Sebina indicated that as there was shortage of water in most of the farmlands, Dr Chiepe took it upon herself to make sure farmers at Makoro had access to water by requesting a borehole that was drilled during construction of A1 road.

Through her efforts farmers were granted the borehole, and still use it to date.

He said that Dr Chiepe’s mother was from Sebina ward and she was called Sefalana whilst her father was from Mhaswa ward.

He further said that Dr Chiepe served as an education inspectorate in Serowe in 1953, and later went to work as an education officer in Mafikeng, which she later left to work as an Ambassador in London.

Kgosi Kesegofetse Sebeo of Mhaswa ward where Dr Chiepe originated from remembers her as a loving and humble person who preferred to be treated like an ordinary person.

“One thing that amazed people was that she would not want to be served food with cutlery, preferred to use her hands,” he said.

He indicated that Dr Chiepe’s first car registration number was BPB 5 (Bechuanaland Protectorate Bamangwato), and what shocked people was that she could drive as a woman.

The curator at Khama III Memorial Museum, Mr Secobie Lekhutile said Mma Chiepe played a significant role in ensuring that black and white people in Botswana lived together in harmony.

Mr Lekhutile said in a book titled, Shadow of the Great Rock by Alan Seagar, who was a London Missionary Society Pastor in Serowe, Dr Chiepe was in an adjudication panel for OxFam competition whereby the winners would win a sponsorship to study abroad.

The competition, he said was won by the son of the pastor, a white person, and one of the panelists proposed that the sponsorship be given to a Motswana instead of a foreigner.

He said Dr Chiepe opposed the idea, saying apartheid was not allowed in Botswana. ENDS