26 Jun 2017

 For some reason, on the day Sir Ketumile Masire fell ill, he came to his office very happy. 

He was energetic and together with his personal secretary, Mr Fraiser Tlhoiwe, edited a speech that he was to give at an IDM event before he left to do shopping of agricultural goods.

His staff remember that day vividly as Ra-Gaone was wearing a nice looking suit. 

Whenever a member of his staff was wearing nice looking clothes, Rre Masire would say, ‘O thofile,’ so, on that day staffers had jokingly told him that, ‘O thofile’.

He responded with a laughter, took a telephone directory and proceeded to his office before the trip to buy agricultural goods followed. Little did he know that it was his last day in his office.

For those who were in touch with him, there was nothing to suspect that he was not well.

He looked sharp and healthy. Some of his staffers gave an account of thier intercation with him.

Giving an account of what transpired on that fateful day, Personal secretary, Fraiser Tlhoiwe, said Sir Ketumile Masire had left that morning under the escort of police officer’s to do shopping of some agricultural goods.

“An hour or so after he had left, one of the police officers called me to pass the news that the former presidents had collapsed somewhere in Mogoditshane while shopping,” he said.

However, that morning, Tlhoiwe added that, the former president had complained about his heart.

“He had visited the doctor and he complained that his heart was not beating normally,” he said. 

Mr Tlhoiwe, explains that Masire was a humble soul.

“In his house the poor were not stopped at the door, everyone was welcome with warmth and kindness,” he said adding that the former president treated him as his son.

Secretary, Onalethata Malepa said the last time he saw the former president was a day before he fell ill.  

“We were a bit worried of what could be bothering him,” as he was not as jolly as they know him to be.

She said Masire was a straight forward person who did not hold a grudge.

“Fa o ne o mosebetsa gore mongwe o ne a reng, fa motho o o a tsena o tla bo a mmitsa a bo a go bitsa a bo a re, “mmolelele gore re ntse re mo seba re reng,” she said.

Ramaijane Sola who was his driver will always remember the former president with simmental bull that Masire gave to him.

“He loved me very much because I always accompanied him to the cattle post and even called me ngwana wa Setswana.”

Ramaijane Sola said one day on a trip to the cattlepost, he told Rre Masire that his bull had died.

To his surprise when they arrived at the cattle post, Rre Masire asked him to chose a bull from his cattle that will make him forget his dead bull.

“I then chose the Simmental bull and he gave it to me as a present,” he said adding that “It is still at my cattle post, I will always remember him with this present he gave me,” he said.

In testimony of how close he was with the former president, he said Masire reversed his transfer to office of the president ministry.

“It was a sudden death, we are all shocked,” he said. ENDS