10th March 2021
It cannot be right to celebrate the demise of others with a pun.I received the news of Archibald Mogweâs death with both nostalgia and sympathy. May his soul rest in eternal peace.When I heard that this political dinosaur had passed away at the age of 99 â almost double my age, I asked this newspaperâs editor if he was running a story on him – an obituary that is. On a tight deadline, Outsa Mokone probably thought I had gone bonkers. He did not give me a certain answer as he sifted through copy to select what goes and doesnât go into the lean paper of that week.
I first met Rre [Mr] Mogwe in 1976 when I was in Botswana as a Peace Corps volunteer. By then he had already made his mark as the first Permanent Secretary to the Office of President Sir Seretse Khama and had been part of negotiations with De Beers to ensure that the people of Botswana benefited fairly from the nation’s newly discovered diamond wealth.
He had also been awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) on the eve of independence in 1966 for his service as an education officer in the Bechuanaland Protectorate, an honour he seldom mentioned.
His greatest challenge, though, came in 1974 when he was elected to parliament and appointed Botswana’s minister of foreign affairs at a time when the wars of decolonisation were raging on his country’s borders and he was charged with keeping his nation out of the maelstrom.
“South Africa’s thoughts and prayers are with the Botswana people and government as they mourn the loss of the colossal giant that was Mr Mogwe. May his soul rest in peace,” said Pandor.