21 Apr 2014

Hundreds of mourners braved the chill breeze on April 19 morning to bid farewell to their colleague, friend and mother; the secretary for Presidential Affairs and Public Administration, Mrs Sarah George who passed on recently.

Speakers at her funeral used words such as humble, motivator, compassionate, key player, listener, approachable and mother to all, in a bid to describe Mma-G as she was affectionately called by her colleagues and friends.

The Assistant Minister for  Presidential Affairs and Public Administration, Mr Gaotlhaetse Matlhabaphiri said he worked with Mrs George for a short time at the ministry, but he had heard about her commitment and passion towards  work from the acting Minister of Education and Skills Development, Mr Mokgweetsi Masisi.

Mr Matlhabaphiri said, as secretary for Presidential Affairs and Public Administration, Mrs George was responsible for the administration of the Office of the President, BGCIS, information and broadcasting services  as well as Government Printing and Publishing Services.

The assistant minister said the George family’s  loss would also be felt by government and the nation at large. He said Mrs George had a way of defusing tension in the people she led and worked with as she never despised anyone and believed that every officer, regardless of their level, had one or two lessons to teach others.

He said Mma G’s  progression in her career was in recognition of her qualities in management and ability to pursue and achieve results. Mr Matlhabaphiri said Mma-G was appointed to the position of Secretary for Presidential Affairs and Public Administration by the President in March 2013.

One of her friends and who was also her secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Ms Tiyapo Grand described Mma-G as a consistent and dependable person  who worked with humility and love.

Ms Grand said her friendship with  Mma-G some started years back when she was accommodated by Ms George’s elder brother, Mr Modukanele Modukanele in Gaborone adding that she used to visit  the family in Malaka .

Another longtime friend, Ms Ella Sentsho, whose friendship with Mma G started when they met at Moeng College in 1975, described her as a woman of conviction and a hard worker who was always committed to her school work.

Speaking on behalf of the family, Mr Obonye George who is Mma-G’s elder son described her as a loving mother who had the education of her children at heart. He said the last time when he spoke to her was when he was going on a trip and the last words from her mother were, ”if it happens that I die please ensure that your siblings education becomes priority.”

He assured the mourners that he would take his mother’s words seriously and encourage his sister and brother to do their best in their  education so that she would sleep a happy mother.

Ms George or Mma-Boni as family members called her was born at Malaka village on April 12, 1960 and started her primary school in 1968 to 1974 in Malaka and Sebeso primary schools before proceeding to Moeng College in 1975 for her secondary education.

She then proceeded to the then University of Botswana Lesotho and Swaziland (BOLESWA) where she majored in Sociology and Environmental Science which she completed in 1984 and went for her Master Degree in land resource management at the University of Arizona in the United States of America.

She worked in Ghanzi, Mahalapye, North East, Francistown and South East as the District Officer Lands before she was promoted to the position of Director, Ministry Management in the Ministry of Local Government and later became the director, in the Department of Local Government Development and Planning in the same ministry.

Mma-G was later in 2009 to the position of deputy permanent secretary in the ministry of agriculture and was redeployed to the Ministry of Lands and Housing in May 2012 and in March 2013, she was promoted to become the secretary for Presidential Affairs and Public Administration the position she died still holding.

She is survived by her husband, Mr Motsamai George, three children, two sons Obonye, Boineelo and a daughter, Refilwe , her mother Mma Matshediso, four brother and four sisters.  ends