08 Dec 2014

A quintessential leader, Gale the affiliate; these are some of a plethora of adjectives used to describe the outgoing Orapa, Letlhakane and Damtsha Mines (OLDM) general manager, Mr Adrian Gale.

At his farewell party, recently, away from a serious diamond mining business that earns Botswana revenue, speakers showered the outgoing Briton as a pragmatic, results oriented and open door policy manager who valued contributions from virtually everyone.

With all numerous adjectives heaped on Mr Gale one would compile a pocket adjectival dictionary dedicated to the Briton whose dream of Orapa Today Boteti Tomorrow was glorified by various speakers.

Although a lot was said about Mr Gale, all was in consonance attesting to a meticulous leader that the British man was and the legacy he was leaving behind.

Mr Gale, who has served OLDM for the past four years, was hailed as a custodian with strong leadership on resource allocation who, many at times, would ‘wrestle for capital’ to produce the much needed results.

“At one point he grabbed me by the hand and demanded solutions to the problems I presented and one of my colleagues said that ‘the bull has arrived,” senior manager, Letlhakane and Damtshaa mines Mr Motlhabani said in reference to Mr Gale’s style of leadership.

Mr Motlhabani even went to the extent of divulging that some of the youthful aspiring managers refused to act on managerial positions in fear of the result-oriented Gale.

At a farewell party described as fit for the royalty and befitting a man of Mr Gale’s stature Debswana Diamond Company Managing Director Mr Balisi Bonyongo eulogized Mr Gale as ‘a great man I have come to know for the past two years.’

Having contributed significantly in uplifting the lives of the inhabitants of Orapa and the Boteti region at large, Mr Bonyongo described the outgoing general manager as having been the most influential figure within the Boteti region.

Having landed in Botswana with a great vision, Mr Gale is said to have created a legacy with his robust, resilient and responsive approach to tackling issues dogging the diamond mines.

Despite coming at a time when the diamond industry was hard hit by the economic recession, Mr Gale is said to have performed excellently, at least according to Mr Bonyongo.

Though trade unions have been found to be persistent and aggressive in their approach to workers welfare, Mr Gale is said to have found a good working relationship with Botswana Mine Workers Union who were present at the farewell ceremony.

Mr Gale’s colleagues also extoled him for adhering to the highest safety standards at the mines.

“I need money and I need money now,” Mr Gale would insist when he needed capital to carryout mining duties, according to Mr Bonyongo.

Mr Bonyongo revealed that the Briton had gone to the extent of personally meeting with the head of state to brief him of his needs to better the OLDM.

“The impact of a man can’t be judged at a micro level,” said Mr Bonyongo about a man he respected for managing to turn over the fortunes of OLDM.

Mr Gale was not only popular for seeking results at the diamond company was also hailed for his aggression towards ensuring that citizens are developed at all levels.

During his four year stint with OLDM, the outgoing general manager is credited for innate humanitarian gestures towards the people of Boteti. Under his stewardship, Mr Gale ensured that funds for cooperate social investment were channeled towards developing the community he lived in especially schools and underprivileged members of the society.

His dream of Orapa Today Boteti Tomorrow saw the birth of one Orapa one team being Orapa United promoted from first division to the premier league. Moreover, the players earned salaries which improved their livelihoods.

Other speakers lauded Mr Gale as a custodian committed to ensuring that Orapa became a good place to live and work in.

“He stood for us and defended us. He basically took bullets for us,” said Orapa Game Park committee chairperson Dr Hans van Zyl.

In bidding his colleagues farewell before retracing his steps back to the United Kingdom where he will enjoy some rest away from taxing mining industry, Mr Gale wished everyone a merry Christmas.

Though he said very little owing to the fact that many speakers had emptied his bag with eulogies, the outgoing manager spoke of his successes that included amongst other things improvement of Orapa Game Park, producing the best passing students in the country and better production at the mines. ENDS