29 Apr 2018

He has not amassed material wealth but he has amassed a wealth of experience both professionally and otherwise.

The civil service has “groomed” him and in turn, in one way or the other contributed to what the civil service is today.

He leaves the civil service today, April 30, 2018, a happy man, a professional par excellence thanks to the 32 years he has been in the public service.

By his own confession  Ernest Abits “Shimani” Power aka Mashetla Gaelesiwe (52) leaves the public service with no regrets, he has run his race and it is time to hand over the baton to those who can still run the race.
Professionally, Gaelesiwe is that person who has a nose for news.

At his element he will dominate the editorial meetings with humorous but easy to follow stories.

A newsroom is a place where journalists will talk freely about different topics, and Gaelesiwe with his pronounced limp, will walk around and reporters will be left in stiches when talking about himself as a “Motlharo” not Mokgalagdi.  

Tsabong born journo is one of the crop of reporters who joined the department in November 1986 when competition for a front page story was the order of the day, when reporters would strive to come up with masterpieces to earn a front page.

The competition for a front page was so intense that to earn it, one had to come up with something unique.

Gaelesiwe’s first posting outside Gaborone was his home village, Tsabong in 1988.

After successfully completing his journalism studies at the Harare Polytechnic in 1996, he worked in Gaborone before being transferred to Mahalapye and thereafter Lobatse in 2000.

He went through the rank and file until he was promoted to be the regional head of the Southern region of the Department in 2003 based in Kanye.

In journalistic term he was a Bureau Chief.

His areas of jurisdiction included Lobatse, Jwaneng, Tsabong, Hukuntsi and Gantsi.

Gaelesiwe was a coordinator of the Gaborone region and many reporters will remember him for being a humorous, stern and patient sub-editor.

He would not be afraid to take his superiors head on especially on a point he believes in regarding one of his reporters.

One of his colleagues, Aubrey Maswabi says he cherished, Gaelesiwe’s kindness, patience and advice.

“I have grown so much since I started working with Ernest,” he says.

True to that, Gaelesiwe will call reporters to his office for one on one coaching and advice.

Journalism by nature focused on the reporting of non-fiction topics, Gaelesiwe shunned “cooked” stories and will take to task those who are not sure of their facts.

He will say to reporters “when you are assigned I expect you to bring reliable and correct information because you will be the eyes and ears of the department, I should trust what is before me, and I don’t have to doubt you.”

Maswabi would continue to say about Gaelesiwe, “It has been an honour to work with a wonderful colleague like Ernest. I thank him for his help and kindness. Good colleagues are the kind of people you can rely on, generally get along with, share a joke or two, and ask for help. Ernest is definitely all of these things.”  

Another reporter Ms Lorato Gaofise shares the sentiment as Maswabi, she says “Mr Gaelesiwe is an easygoing person who is very accommodating and easily approachable.

He is one manager who was very patient and tolerant. No matter what situation or challenge we faced as reporters, his advice or word of encouragement to us was to be patient and to remain optimistic that our concerns would be addressed no matter how long it took.

He was fair and always avoided being biased when addressing conflicts among reporters. One thing I will miss about him is his sense of humour, because there was never a dull moment in the newsroom, when he was present, especially during BOPA editorial meetings.”

His journalistic career took him to countries such as Burkina Faso, Côte-d’Ivoire and France to mention but a few.

He covered presidential trips both locally and internationally.

During his youth days, he was a footballer and sprinter hence the name Power.

Those who do not know him are to be excused if this side of him is unknown to them; he has a whimsical change of character.

One morning he will be the one I have known for the past 32 years or so, the other morning he will be something alien to me.

He is capricious.

But at the end of it all, he is Shimani ngwana wa ga Mma Shimani, the journalist, sub-editor and the father, who is retiring from the public service today after an illustrious 29 years career in the Department of Information Services.

The man I call my younger brother because he shares a born year with my biological younger brother. Enjoy your retirement. ENDS