08 Mar 2021

Ms Gorata Matsapa is one of those pupils whose exceptional performance caught the country’s attention in the just released Botswana General Certificate of Secondary Education (BGCSE).

The 18-year-old raised Masunga Senior Secondary School’s flag high as she garnered four A stars, two As and three Bs to obtain 48 points, a performance that made her one of the country’s top achievers.

She obtained  A* in Mathematics, English, Chemistry and English Literature, A’s in Design and Technology and B’s in Biology, Setswana and History.

Ms Matsapa, who was raised by her father, said putting in a lot of hard work earlier in the year was key to her success.  

“Considering the fact that my mother is staying in Zimbabwe after their separation, it affected me a lot. Things were really rough. But nonetheless, I managed to excel because I got an A at junior certificate,” she added.

Ms Matsapa said she learnt to live with challenges, noting that sometimes she could go for days without toiletry when doing Form Four.

“I vividly remember borrowing P40 from one of the pupils and I used the money to buy sweets and biscuits to sell to other pupils. And guess what? It worked for me,” said Ms Matsapa, an elegant young woman who already considers herself an entrepreneur.

Her journey to success started at primary school when she obtained A in the Primary School Leaving Examinations. She did the same at junior certificate.

“Actually, I think I am a gifted person,” said Ms Matsapa who could not hide her excitement.

In fact, she is the first female pupil to become the president at Thamani Junior Secondary School after defeating her critics. Her secret to the election was that she wrote her own manifesto.

“I dream big and Batswana should not be surprised when I make history to become their first female president,” said Ms Matsapa who wants to join politics after she finishes her educational journey.

Ms Matsapa attributed her success to the support she got from her teachers, family and two classmates, Bawo Johnson and One Wilson.  “I also believed that I can do it,” she said.

She also gives credit to her English teacher who emphasised that she should read books to improve her English.

“Whenever I had free time I would read novels and magazines and on Saturday’s after doing my laundry, I would go for reading,” she added.

Ms Matsapa said she was not put off by the school’s poorly resourced library and the COVID-19 pandemic which disrupted most of the learning schedule.

“Allow yourself to have enough time to study every subject and revise your work everyday,” he said.

Although Ms Matsapa was a little bit scared when the examinations were around the corner, she said she decided to treat the final examinations just like any other.

She said words of encouragement from her English teacher and the good luck message from her mother gave her the assurance that all would be fine.

She now wants to study medicine at the University of Botswana or an engineering degree at BUIST.

Her dream does not stop there. When she becomes a doctor, she wants to create an organisation that would empower women even though she was raised by a man.

“Women are able to do what most people perceive they cannot. I want women to realise that their background does not determine their future. All they need to do is to determine it themselves. If you believe in yourself, you can change everything,” she said.

Born in a family of four in the small village of Senyawe near the border of Botswana and Zimbabwe, Ms Matsapa’s role model is poet Maya Angelou. She  has a particular interest in the poem: Still, I rise.

She said coming from humble beginnings with a family with very limited resources, just like Maya Angelou, she will rise.

Mr Thomas Bajiti, who is the head of department, described Ms Matsapa as the ‘pride of the nation’

“We are very grateful that in the public school system, difficult as it is, poor infrastructure as we have, she still managed to rise and be at the top,” said Mr Bajiti.

He explained that the school had limited resources such as the lack of learning materials, especially at the school library.

Mr Bajiti said Ms Matsapa was  focused and dedicated with high levels of commitment and some maturity in her.

He explained that Ms Matsapa played a leading role and was a team player in sharing information with her classmates which helped her class to also perform exceptionally well in the final examination. ENDS