01 Sep 2020

The late Mr Obed Itani Chilume is an icon who will be celebrated for many years to come, says President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi.

  Visiting the Chilume family in Tutume yesterday, Dr Masisi said Mr Chilume was part of the country’s history as he was one of the first MPs in 1965; representing the Nkange constituency.

He said government and Batswana across the country appreciated Mr Chilume’s contribution.

President Masisi applauded his family for endorsing  government’s decision to have a sports complex in Francistown named after him.

The gesture would forever remain symbolic of his legacy, the President said.

Meanwhile, a family representative, Mr Ntoo Chilume, said his father had been battling diabetes for many years and ended up being hospitalised at Riverside Hospital in Francistown in May and was later transferred to Gaborone’s Bokamoso Hospital.

Mr Chilume, 87, passed away on Sunday at Princess Marina Hospital where he had been transferred.

Earlier in his welcome remarks, the brother to Mr Chilume, Mr Gubungano Chilume, expressed appreciation for the President’s visit. Ends