Mmegi/The Reporter (Gaborone)
Gale Ngakane
30 October 2009
Francistown — The distaff section of the City Council of Francistown has only one member, who is hoping that the Minister of Local Government will be partial to women in the exrcise of his perogative to appoint two councillor.
The only woman in Francistown who won a council seat in the recent general elections says she will not feel comfortable being the only woman in the chambers of the City Council of Francistown.
Shah Jack is praying fervently that "the powers that be" will appoint women as Specially Nominated Councillors (Spenoms) "regardless of their social background" to give her company.
Yes, I would like the minister to appoint women to the council," Jack says.
"He knows there are no women other than myself. I do not know if he will accede to my request, but I really hope he does.
"In the last session, there were other women and we used to caucus a lot on issues that affect women. We spoke with a strong voice because of our numbers."
Jack has had little formal education, but the widowed mother of five vanquished opponents from the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) and the Botswana National Front (BNF) to become Councillor for Monarch West in the Francistown West constituency.
Before the general elections, she beat six others opponents in the BDP primaries.
The 57-year old battle-hardened matron harks back:
"They were saying I should not be elected because I am old an woman. But the electorate did not listen to such petty nonsense because they know I can deliver."
She has reason even to brag because with her 'colonial Standard 6, Jack was cast against a field of youthful exuberance and considerable academic accomplishment, especially amongst the candidates of the opposition.
Though she only rose to relative prominence last year when she became a specially elected councillor, Jack says she has been in politics most of her life, beginning "in the days preceding the death of the first president, Sir Seretse Khama".
She credits elder politicians Charles Malikongwa and the late Geoffrey Mosimakoko for introducing her to politics with the blessing of her late husband, Philemon Jack.
The Jacks came from Jackalas 2 and settled in Monarch when their firstborn, Richard, was a toddler. By the time Philemon died, she was a political duck swimming in the political pond of Francistown.
"That was the time when the Botswana People's Party (BPP) was strong in Francistown, but we were determined to eventually wrest it from them," she recalls.
She recalls that when recently retired Speaker of the National Assembly, Patrick Balopi, began his political career, she was one of his foot soldiers.
"Francistown was one constituency then, and Rre Balopi won it," she says. "When he left, Joy Phumaphi took over.
I remember that we introduced house-to-house campaigning with her at a time when people used to be surprised to see a distinguished personage entering the homes of poor people.
"They always roped me in because I was good at house-to-house. Even the present MP, Tshelang Masisi, has made use of me in his campaigns.
Regarding what she will do as a councillor, Jack says she has always been a keen messenger will engage the people of Monarch West at all times.
"When I first got into the chambers in the last session, there was a programme to develop Monarch, and I asked about it," she says.
"The infrastructure is now taking shape, and as you can see, roads, electricity and a sewerage system are in place.
"Still in the last session, I came up with a motion to de-bush and to remove scrap metal from our homes and streets.
I think because of my motions, the environment in Monarch is top notch. Thieves have got nowhere to hide because wooded areas have been cleared
'What I have also realized is that voters want you to be with them at all times and all the way. You must know what they want, which I believe I do. I am a worthy representative."
At the next council meeting, Jack says she will ask for more land to be allocated to churches in her ward because some of them are suffering owing to lack of land.
But how did Mrs Jack come to be named Shah, which is the title of the hereditary monarch of certain nations in the Middle East, especially Iran?, I eventually ask.
The answer comes that her father, who was born in 1892, was a veteran of the First World War who saw action in the Middle East where he heard of "the King of Persia," the former name of Iran.
When he was demobilised, he returned home and subsequently fathered a beautiful daughter whom he named Shah.
With her Identity Document (Omang) bearing the names Shah Jack, her other name, Florence, has faded into obscurity.
But this tough woman who just flattened much-vaunted opponents is not about to do the same.
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