Botswana, the world’s biggest diamond producing country by value, has been hailed as one of Africa’s economic miracles partly because of its free market economy, political stability and adherence to democratic governance since independence from Britain on September 30, 1966.
A founding member of the Southern African Development Coordination Conference (SADCC) which was later re-named as the Southern African Development Community (SADC), Botswana has been holding regular elections, which have consistently been won by the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP).
Which is an outstanding record given the coups and counter-coups and the so-called Arab Springs that have rocked various countries, particularly in West and North Africa.
However, in the light of the pressure that mounted in the run-up to last year’s general elections, all indications were that the ruling BDP would for the first lose power to the newly-formed Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), a coalition of opposition parties and interest groups led by the late Gomolimo Motswaledi who died in a car accident as he drove home from South Africa.
However, much to the shock of its critics the BDP demonstrated its remarkable resilience, as the party did not only retain power but even captured seats in constituencies previously regarded as bastions of opposition strongholds.
Because of ideological differences the Botswana Congress Party (BCP), the official opposition party in Parliament led by Dumelang Saleshando, did not join the alliance and the impact of its non-cooperation and its impact on the 2014 general election outcome will always remain a matter of conjecture.
Looking into the distant past, however, it would not be far-fetched, in my opinion, for anyone perusing historical records to come to the conclusion that while Sir Seretse Khama led Botswana to political independence, almost half a century ago, Sir Ketumile Masire, in his capacity as the country’s first minister of finance and development planning, is the architect and ‘bricklayer’ who systematically built brick-by-brick Botswana’s economic miracle through carefully calculated development plans.
Of course, this is not to diminish or overlook the hard work put in by the ‘grand functionnaires’ – top civil servants like permanent secretaries – such as Festus Mogae, Baledzi Gaolathe (late), Charles Tibone and Kenneth Matambo, the current minister of Finance and Development Planning under President Lt-Gen Seretse Khama Ian Khama.
These are in fact among the technocrats – men and women Masire picked and moved up the hierarchy like a chess-master to ensure Botswana’s steady rise to the top as a middle-income country in Africa.
I must confess that as a practising journalist within Zambia in my association (for want of a better word) with Sir Ketumile was through foreign newspaper reports and pictures until I was privileged to meet him face-to-face, first in his office in Gaborone (to apologise for a monumental blunder done by a Pretoria News paste-up artist) and twice during his favourite ‘Meet-the-editors tea sessions’ that he held at State House round 1993-94.
Everyone would probably agree that Dr Masire had remained in virtual obscurity until he shot to prominence following  Sir Seretse Khama’s death in Gaborone on July 13, 1980.
I came to learn that Sir Ketumile, who went to school at Tiger Kloof in South Africa,  was once a teacher and journalist and edited a local publication called ‘Naledi’, the Setswana word for star, which should probably explain his softly-softly attitude towards perceived ‘hostile’ media criticism that other politicians often find unpalatable.
A member of the minority Bangwaketse tribe (from southern Botswana and whose headquarters is Kanye, about 80 kilometres from Gaborone) the former school teacher-turned politician had been the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) secretary general before his appointment as deputy prime minister in the first pre-independence cabinet in March, 1965.
When the country gained its independence from Britain on September 30, 1966, Sir Quett Ketumile Masire became Minister of Finance and Vice President to the nation’s founding President (Dr) Sir Seretse Khama.
The next year he also took over the portfolio of Development Planning, which he retained until he became President in 1980. He had lost his Kanye parliamentary seat to his own traditional ruler, Paramount Chief Seepapitso II, who ran on the opposition Botswana National Front (BNF) ticket in the 1969 general election, but served as a nominated member of the National Assembly until he recaptured it in the 1974 balloting.
When he assumed the Presidency on July 18 following Khama’s death five days earlier, Sir Ketumile Masire named Lenyeletse Seretse, President Khama’s cousin, as his Vice President and Minister of Local Government and Lands.
A white Motswana citizen Charles Blackbeard, presently the country’s High Commissioner to Britain, became minister of Works and Communications.
Peter Mmusi, who later became vice president after Mr Lenyeletse died, took over the post of Finance and Development Planning minister from President Masire.
It was probably the darkest period in the young nation’s history because Mr Mmusi himself died as I was already in the country I was among hundreds of mourners who attended his burial at the old Gaborone cemetery opposite the Botswana International Trade Fair Show Grounds around 1992/1993.
Unanimously nominated as the sole candidate by the BDP parliamentary caucus, Dr Masire was formally elected by the National Assembly, after attracting 34 votes out of 36, with two abstentions.
As alluded to earlier, Sir Sereste had died two weeks upon his return from Britain where he had been attending specialist treatment in a London hospital.
With clock precision Khama’s memorial service at the National Stadium went ahead as planned on July 24 followed by his interment at the royal Bamangwato cemetery in Serowe the next day.
An estimated crowd of 20,000 people including President Kenneth Kaunda, one of Sir Seretse Khama’s closest friends, had attended the memorial service in the nation’s capital.
Other heads of State present at the memorial service were President Hastings Kamuzu Banda of Malawi (who had been with Khama in London during their student days), Samora Machel of Mozambique, Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, King Moshoeshoe of Lesotho, Rev Cannon  Banana of Zimbabwe, the Duke of Kent (representing Queen Elizabeth II), and Mr Harry Oppenheimer, the chairman of Anglo American Corporation (AAC) and joint chairman with Sir Seretse of the Botswana Diamond Mining Company, a 50-50 owned mining venture.
At the time of his demise, Sir Seretse was only 59 years-old, a victim of cancer after suffering for a number of years from diabetes, heart and from liver complaints.
While others adopted socialism and nationalisation of private companies, Sir Seretse Khama supported a multi-party democratic political system in his country under which the BDP successfully secured parliamentary majorities at regular elections.
Within the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Khama – no doubt to the chagrin of his socialist colleagues – took a relatively conservative and pro-Western stance.
As a pan-Africanist who believed in the Organisation for African Unity (OAU) and Front-line states’ ideals, he opposed both the illegal Rhodesian regime led by Ian Smith and the South African apartheid system, but refused to allow the establishment of freedom-fighter bases in Botswana. Geographically located on the doorsteps (literally) of South Africa, he also advocated initiatives to reduce  his country’s economic dependence on Pretoria by diversification of the Botswana economy and fostering cooperation among other Southern African states like Zambia, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Angola and Tanzania.
He is credited with initiating the formation of the Southern African Development Coordinating Conference (SADCC), the forerunner of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) with Gaborone as its headquarters.
To cap it all, some three weeks ago at the 35th SADC summit of heads of State and government held in Gaborone, Khama’s son, Ian, took over the chairmanship of the 15-nation bloc, replacing veteran Zimbabwean nationalist, President Robert Mugabe.
Among attendees who witnessed the ‘hand-over’ of the SADC baton were two former BDP leaders and republican presidents, Sir Quett Ketumile Masire, whom I would like to characterise as principal architect and bricklayer of Botswana’s economic miracle, and his successor Festus Mogae. From 1980 until 2008 when he retired from active politics, Masire transformed the country’s economy into one of the best in Africa and the world.
Those who last visited Gaborone in the 1980s and 1990s will be amazed at the spectacular changes as the nation’s capital is no longer the sleepy little village that it used to be. It is glowing thanks to the national builders and Zambia’s all-weather friends like Masire, Mogae and Khama. Comments:-
Dual Citizenship:
Dear Mr Mulenga,
I read your last Saturday’s article on ‘Dual citizenship in the Press with interest. My friends and I have been debating this issue for quite sometime without finding an answer.
At least you have raised very valid points and I agree though I am – in a way – in a similar situation – torn in between.
I have my niece and a nephew, children of my sister, who I raised (when their father died) from the ages of 6 and 9. My sister left for the United States (US) came back and picked them up at the age of 12 for the girl and 15 for the boy. Now they are above 20 and both are doing very well education-wise with a very promising future & very much up-to-date with the Zambian current affairs.
The worry is that the boy renounced his Zambian citizenship in anticipation that the dual citizenship law will be passed, I took the news with a pinch of salt. The girl hasn’t yet (renounced) and she is asking for my advice. I don’t know what to tell her; I keep on giving excuses. What can I do, I don’t have the answers and I don’t want to lose her like what has happened to the boy. What can I do?
The mother has a permanent resident permit; she goes and comes back, the children will listen to me more than to their mother as I am like a father to them. Any idea how I can deal with this situation?
Kind regards,
Albert Ngwira.
I am not an expert comrade Ngwira, but I would like to believe they would be required to reapply for Zambian citizenship; and renounce, perhaps unconditionally, their US citizenship upon their return (permanently) to Zambia. What do others think?
Comments, please email:alfredmulenga777@gmail.com