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Botswana: Gaolathe Lights Up Matsitama

Gale Ngakane

17 March 2008

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Matsitama — The impromptu choir was summoned to the front to give a rendition while the Tonota North constituency choir was still rehearsing behind Motswedi Bar.

But this was jumping the gun. The Tonota choir was the one that was billed to welcome area MP and Minister of Finance, Baledzi Gaolathe who had just completed a 10km-sponsored walk.

Clad in their red and white Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) colours, the ruling party supporters from the constituency rendezvoused in front of the bar after walking with Gaolathe from Matakana (at the Orapa junction) to the drinking hole in the village.

Men and women who sat on the chairs borrowed from Matsitama Primary School stood up to form the impromptu choir. One of the choristers was a white haired octogenarian, who in spite of the sweltering heat had draped himself in a heavy green military trench coat, a broad-brimmed khaki hat to match and black boots that went up to his ankles.

He croaked his way through the song praising President Festus Mogae's able leadership for the past 10 years. To him, it was apparently also a heart-felt 'thank you' to Gaolathe who had brought good tidings to Matsitama residents. The senior citizen was seeing a brighter future for himself and his offspring. No longer would he grope his way to the lavatory in pitch darkness that usually characterise nighttime in Matsitama.

The village is one of the worst hit by criminals. There have been reports of villagers being attacked by people perceived to be Zimbabweans under the cover of darkness. The previous day, the old man, with a motley crew of other villagers who were visiting relatives in Francistown, stood for a long time at the junction unable to hitch a ride into Matsitama. With no vehicle in sight, he gave up and plodded the gravelled road with its undulating surface until he arrived dog-tired at his abode in Matsitama.

Luckily, his daughter was home and she heated a sizeable amount of water for him to soak in and massage his lethargic torso.

So, his euphoric spirits at Gaolathe's news were not misplaced. And Gaolathe himself, was in his element as, adorned in red colours from head to toe, he sprung to his feet and made a rejoinder that he would have wished the stretch was 20 kilometres and back.

"I am not tired at all. I feel I can walk another 10km, even 20. We did that the other time at Marapong. I could see some people, others much younger, were being loaded into cars because they were so exhausted," he said before delving into the good tidings.

First, it was the fact that the sponsored walk had managed to raise P40,000. Then he disclosed, to rapturous applause, that the torturous 10km road from their village to the junction will be tarred.

The road is to be included in National Development Plan (NDP) 10 and when the next financial year starts, it will go for tender, he said.

In fact, this 10km will be just part of the development of the 140km road cutting across from Mosetse on the Francistown-Maun Highway to Mmashoro, a few kilometers on the Serowe-Orapa Road.

Also, Matsitama is to undergo electrification like other rural villages in Botswana. The residents applauded loudly. Gaolathe said the bridge north of the village on the road is to be rehabilitated.

The news was well received by the area councillor, Phillip Bashi Makala, who said he has spoken about the bridge and the road till his voice became hoarse.

"Right now there is no public transport that serves the village because the road damages vehicles. If the road was to be tarred, Matsitama is going to develop, I tell you," said Makala to Monitor during a feast prepared at the primary school.

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