11 Jun 2019

 “Hon Tshireletso is one of a few women in cabinet and a leading figure in Botswana’s political landscape.  She is a high impact national leader who served in several key positions in government and the ruling party.  She is a reputable spokesperson for freedom and rights of women and the marginalised in Botswana,” reads Botlogile Tshireletso’s  resume.

Exiting active politics this year, indeed, Tshireletso leaves an interminable imprint in Botswana politics and society in general.

Having made her political debut in 1978, after one Resayapele Senai recruited her, all she was armed with was a six-year old ‘forced marriage certificate’ which she says did not add any value to her life. 

Instead she made ends meet through a job at a cooperative society shop.

Even though she was raised in a family of staunch Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) supporters, Tshireletso tells BOPA in an interview that at the age of 23 she felt indifferent towards politics. All she dreamt of was a professional certificate.    

Veteran politicians would later lure her to the Mahalapye BDP office where she was hired to do a menial job. Little did she know that was the beginning of a career of a lifetime. 

“…I recruited members and kept them active and hard work was my shortcut to success,” explains Tshireletso and notes that at this stage she was ready enough to contest for a council seat.

With such courage, the youthful Tshireletso would picture herself amidst 40 and over 40-year-olds battling for a council seat. 

When the BDP youth wing came into being in 1978, she would, under the chairmanship of the late Pelokgale Seloma and secretary general Gaotlhaetse Matlhabaphiri, land a position in the national youth executive committee.

It was then that Mahalapye-born Tshireletso developed more interest in politics. 

She would go on to serve as a national fundraising and project officer for the National Youth Executive Committee after she got 18 yesses out of 20 members who voted.

Within a year, the mother of three says she had now bolstered her position against a slate of rivals. 

This, she did by forging direct links with balloters especially that she was in her native village.

“… I have never bought the electorate in my entire 40 years of active politics, rather I employed tactics I learnt while studying in Russia,” she adds.

Tshireletso who holds a Certificate in Political Education from Tashkent University, Russia says her recipe to win an election is to win voters’ hearts by saying something somewhat convincing.

She would become Mahalapye East councilor in 1979, an elective position she held until 2004 without anyone posing a serious challenge to her. 

After a decade of service in the Central District Council (CDC), Tshireletso who is currently Assistant Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, states that she remains the first woman to serve as vice chairperson, a position she held from 1989-1994.

 By then, of the approximately 174 seats in the CDC, women occupied only a few, with youth constituting a mere five per cent.

Tshireletso had a dream. 

A dream she sadly saw fading like twilight signaling the end of a day. 

“I really wanted to be a chair but I was defeated and I accepted. There were women ba ba neng ba sa batle ke ema (women who did not want me to stand),” regrets Tshireletso.

She explains that she does not see women as their own enemies. Somehow, a patriarchal society which treats men as prime decision makers and women as only a superfluous appendages associated with gossiping, should take the flack.

Nonetheless, at the end of the day, it was not all in vain. 1985 saw the birth of the BDP women’s wing and Tshireletso would be part as an ordinary member.

However, in 2001, in the small village of Shoshong, not far from her home village, Tshireletso would defeat what many considered a strong contender, Tebelelo Seretse. 

Following such a feat, Tshireletso would rise from just being an ordinary member to be the national women’s wing chairperson. 

The position meant she was now an ex-offio member of the party’s central committee where she served for six years.

Her journey was not so rosy though because people always ridiculed her for her poor educational background. 

To keep head above all that negativity, Tshireletso explains that she took advantage of every opportunity that came her way to upgrade her educational background and by extension boosting her confidence as well. 

Later on, she felt she had outgrown the council seat and wanted to move up the political ladder. 

“It was not a smooth sailing. When a new constituency, Mahalapye East was established, I went for the challenge.”

Once again, she tapped into the knowledge she acquired during her stay in Russia and she won Bulela Ditswe, defeating two men, former prisons commander Joseph Orebotse and special elected councilor Eddy Norman.

With a wide constituency, covering villages like Dovedale, Makwate, Mookane, Dibete, Shakwe, her wish became a reality when she made it to parliament in 2004 after winning in the general elections.

The same year she was appointed a government whip, a responsibility she says did not clearly define her roles. 

She soldiered on though until she and the speaker were afforded an opportunity to go and broaden their knowledge abroad.

Her major breakthrough came in 2009 when she was appointed an assistant minister, a position she holds to date. 

She hit the ground running, becoming the voice for the voiceless and taking services closer to rural dwellers. 

Today she boasts her brainchild, Miss RADP  – a pageant for young girls in rural areas which has for years been a hit with those she serves dearly. 

The outspoken legislator would set tongues wagging when she became a self appointed advocate for the protection of the rights of prostitutes, safe abortion and transgender issues through different fora. 

Retiring at 65 she feel content that even though some laws she had wanted revised still remain, she appreciates the fact that the courts of law have fairly addressed issues affecting minority and vulnerable groups. 

This also includes the health ministry being to issue statistics for cases of abortion, an indication that the problem was a reality.  

She also leaves a good record in the provision of shelter to the less privileged through the party’s women wing. 

Now all said and done, she gives credit to Gaositwe Chiepe, Gaolese Koma, Gaobotse Ngakayagae and Daniel Kwelagobe whom she says played a critical role in shaping her political career.

Bidding farewell to her electorate was equally an emotionally taxing undertaking for Tshireletso who says she had now become a mother to the people she served. 

“I am happy because I represented the people who voted for me well, from gravel roads to tar, from darkness to light, schools, potable water…They wanted me to return to parliament but I had to go.”

Grand parenting, penning a book, expanding investments and doing voluntary work is all what will keep Tshireletso on her toes as her political career reaches its twilight! Ends