15 Aug 2016

University of Botswana (UB) has started 50 days count down to the golden jubilee by capturing the country’s major milestones.
Speaking at the BOT50 lecture on August 11, Dr Gaositwe Chiepe, former cabinet minister took the audience through achievements the country made from independence to the present in terms of developments.
Back then, the country did not have its own currency hence used the British Pound. She said in 1961 the country then adopted the currency of South Africa being ‘Rand’ as forced by some circumstances.
She said in 1976 the country introduced its own currency where some suggestions were made to name the currency.
“The ‘Pula’ and ‘Thebe’ was therefore adopted to be the national currency and this brought electrified pride to Batswana,” she said.
She noted a commendable achievement in the education sector especially in the number of universities as of today.
Before independence Botswana depended entirely on South Africa for tertiary education. Dr Chiepe alluded that at independence Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland owned one University at Roma in Lesotho and was called UBLS, (university of Botswana Lesotho and Swaziland).
The three countries pulled their resources to finance the administration of the university, adding that Botswana with her compatible healthy economy poured a lot of money into it.
After some challenges with the combined University, Dr Chiepe noted that the founding and late President of Botswana Sir Seretse Khama called on the nation to participate in self-help (ipelegeng) hence launch of the Botswana University Campaign Appeal (BUCA).
She said the response from Batswana was staggering as they donated cattle, goats, and chickens, bags of maize, beans as well as money thus when the University of Botswana was created under the campaign one man one beast.
Highlighting on other achievement, Dr Chiepe mentioned diamonds and that the first diamond was discovered in 1967 at Orapa, after gaining independence.
She said following the discovery of the diamond, Botswana was without the experience, skills and knowledge.
“Debeers came on board with skills, experience and money and they both engaged in negotiations which led to Botswana owning 50 per cent as well as De beers owning 50 per cent,” she said.
 She indicated that diamonds drove most of developments such as schools, hospitals and roads and creation of jobs to youth of Botswana, the money from diamonds did not belong to individuals but to the whole nation.
For his Part, Professor Part Mgadla of UB stated that indeed Botswana has a lot to celebrate since independence as he emphasised the history of the three dikgosi as a milestone worthy celebrating.
He said if it wasn’t by the intervention and success of the three dikgosi, the country could have not been where it is right now.
Prof Mgadla indicated that before independence this country was rated among the poorest countries in the world.
However, he mentioned that after independence and discovery of diamonds there were commendable developments and the nation was rated the middle income country.
The BOT50 lecture series hosted by the University of Botswana will continue until  September 22, the series will be touching on different topics to pave way to the 50^th celebrations. ENDS