19 Apr 2018

Former MP for Chobe, Mr Gibson Nshimwe and specially elected MP, Mr Jerry Gabaake will be laid to rest this Saturday.

Mr Gabaake, 89, died on April 16 and will be buried in Gaborone while Mr Nshimwe, 60, died on April 15 and will be buried in Kasane.

In Parliament, Mr Gabaake served in various committees that include the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Africa region, Law Reforms Committee, Subsidiary Legislation, Government Assurances and Motions, Defence and Security and House Committee.

A statement from Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) states that Mr Gabaake was a staunch member of the BDP and one of the distinguished founding luminaries of the nation. He served as general manager, corporate services at Botswana Telecommunication Corporation and as permanent secretary and various other deployments within the public service.

Mr Gabaake also served in various portfolios in the BDP, including former chairperson of the council of elders.

“The loss of Rre Gabaake will echo through the entire world where his competencies were recognised. He was a reputable scribe and his retirement days took him to sharing his advisory and experience through a regular column in the newspapers,” states Mr Mpho Balopi.

Meanwhile Mr Nshimwe is one of the founding members of the Botswana Congress Party (BCP), a party that he won the Chobe constituency under and served for five years after the 2009 general elections.

In Parliament, Mr Nshimwe served in committees of Foreign Affairs, Defence, Justice, Security and Government Assurance, Health and HIV, Labour and Home Affairs and Subsidiary Legislation.

At the time of his death, Mr Nshimwe was a BCP deputy chairperson for the North West region.

A statement from the BCP’s information and publicity secretary, Mr Dithapelo Keorapetse, says prior to becoming the Chobe MP, he was a councillor for Plateau ward in Kasane for two consecutive terms.

It further states that Mr Nshimwe was instrumental in advocating for greater democracy and the socio-economic uplifting of Batswana.

Apart from being remembered for his contribution in opposition politics, Mr Nshimwe will be remembered as a unionist who fought for workers’ rights.

Veteran unionist, Mr Johnson Motshwarakgole in an interview said the late Mr Nshimwe served in the then Manual Workers Union as its deputy secretary general and deputy national chairperson while he was still employed in government as a storekeeper.

He said the death of Mr Nshimwe was a loss to the working class as he was a reference point to them, adding that he would be remembered for working tirelessly to encourage the union to invest in property and even own offices in Gaborone’s CBD. ENDS