PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe has described the late former and second President of Botswana Sir Ketumile Quett Joni Masire as a man of valour and honour.
Sir Ketumile Masire passed on on June 22 2017 and was buried in his hometown of Kanye yesterday (Thursday).
President Mugabe joined other dignitaries who included former Presidents of Namibia Sam Nujoma and Hifikepunye Pohamba, Mozambican Armando Guebuza, South Africa’s Thabo Mbeki, Tanzania’s Benjamin Mkapa and former OAU secretary-general and Tanzania’s Prime Minister Dr Salim Ahmed Salim.
King Letsie III of Lesotho, South Africa’s Vice-President Cyril Ramaphosa and Deputy Prime Minister of Swaziland Paul Dlamini were also among the dignitaries.
Speaking during the burial, President Mugabe described the departed leader as an African icon.
“We come in tears because we feel robbed in losing the man who lies before us, a leader who was such an asset to us in so many ways.
“The death of Sir Ketumile Masire has not only robbed Botswana of a great leader, but has also deprived southern Africa and our entire continent of a great statesman who served with valour and honour.
“It gave us both pride and confidence to work with him as a neighbour, colleague and friend,” said President Mugabe.
Sir Ketumile Masire was one of Africa’s leaders who played a crucial role in the attainment of independence by other African states.
“When he took over as President of Botswana in July 1980, the liberation struggles in South Africa and Namibia were at their peak. President Masire would not be intimidated by the might of the apartheid army into submission as Botswana continued to render assistance to the liberation movements in those countries.
“The People of Zimbabwe will forever reverberate the sterling role that the late former President Masire played in the liberation struggles of our region,” he said.
President Mugabe said the former Botswana leader was dedicated and committed to seeing the region develop.
“I have fond recollections of working closely with him in the formative stages of Southern African Development Co-ordination Conference (SADCC), alongside other colleagues, to lay the foundation stones for the integration of our region.
“I was alongside him as we tried to get RENAMO and FRELIMO to come into terms in 1992. Negotiation was helped through his efforts,” said President Mugabe.
During the liberation struggle of Zimbabwe, Botswana assisted by providing accommodation and a safe route for comrades going for training.
The late former second President Sir Ketumile is also remembered for assisting Rwanda deal with the aftermath of the 1994 genocide and working towards achieving peace in Democratic Republic of the Congo.
“We all remember his labours as Facilitator of Inter-Congolese Dialogue during the late 1990s, and his role as chairman of the seven-member Panel of Eminent Persons commissioned by the OAU to investigate the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.
“Even on this somber occasion, let us lift the veil that grief has placed on our faces and recognise the wonderful works of this great man!
“Even after retirement, the late former President Masire continued to be a servant of his people and of humanity, as he traversed the entire length and breadth of the African continent in pursuit of peace, peaceful co-existence and development,” said President Mugabe.
Brother to the late President Masire, Basimanya Masire, described him as a persistent and hardworking man.
“‘If you are not strong, you must be intelligent’, were the words of my brother to us,” he said.
President Masire’s legacy is evident in the work he did for his country.
The late former President Masire played a crucial role in the development of the diamond-rich country and is described as the chief architect of Botswana‘s democratic development.
As Vice-President and Minister of Finance and Development Planning as well as President, Sir Ketumile contributed in having the country move from being ranked as one of the world’s 10 least developed nations to a middle income status nation.
During his presidency, Botswana made significant strides in the provision of education and health.
His quest for development and to improve the education level of his people saw him attain a teacher’s certificate.
1950 saw him becoming the first head teacher of the new Kanye Junior Secondary School (now Seepapitso Senior Secondary School).
He taught subjects that were regarded as the domain of the whiteman.
So wide was his knowledge that he taught subjects such as English, Philosophy, Geography, Mathematics and General Science, among others.
“I wanted to teach.
“I wanted to communicate information to the people.
“So I worked as a teacher for six years. I enjoyed teaching everything because I was good at all, save for music, because I could not sing,” said the late Sir Ketumile.
The year 1955 saw the late Sir Ketumile leaving teaching to become a full time farmer.
“I wanted to go and teach people innovative methods of farming. People were surprised that a person could leave a respectable profession such as teaching to do something ordinary and common as farming,” said the late former President Ketumile.
Sir Ketumile Masire was born in Kanye in 1925 and was married to Gladys Olebile Mogwera who died in 2013.
They were blessed with six children; three daughters and three sons.