27 Jun 2021

Family and friends on Friday braved the Friday biting weather to repose Tshepo Masire at Goo-Motebejana ward in Kanye .

The  cattle baron died last week aged 55, after battling a heart problem for well over 20 years.

Speakers at his funeral service described the late Tshepo as a genuinely loving man that once met, was never forgotten.

In a written eulogy addressed to his widow Morongwa and family, President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi said his own family was saddened by Tshepo’s demise.

President Masisi said Tshepo was a quintessential farmer and trailblazer in the beef cattle industry. He said his lofty achievements as a Brahman, Simmental and Santa Gertrudes stud breeder would immortalise him.

Dr Masisi, who thanked his family for having shared him with the nation, shared that Tshepo also served as a board member of Ngwaketse land board, Botswana Meat Commission and chairperson of Southern District Beef Farmers Association.

“Morwa Mmetlamasuhu a dikgomo tsoo Mothapi. O betle masuhu o tla o di bapala moana sebata, re se tshwane le batho e rile kgomo di laletswe ba gotlhola, ratla ra rongwa ke makgotla mekoto, ra ba ra kgobela bangwe methobiso,”an elder Mr Motswakgakala Sealetsa rattled out the family poem in honour of the cattle baron.

He said the late Tshepo spent most of his life at the farm cementing a legacy handed down from generation to generation. He said their forebears were distinguished pastoralists and described his nephew as a bastion of the best of their family values.

His daughter Bibi described him as her best teacher . She said her late father created lasting impressions everywhere he went adding, ‘I’m proud to call this giant my father,’ she said tearfully.

“My son and I were so inseparable that his widow was my mother and his children my siblings and friends,” said his father Mr Basimanyana Masire.

His aunt, Ms Gabalengwe Koma said her nephew was warm, loving and respectful right from the start.

Caretaker Basimane Masire said the late Tshepo survived a heart attack in early 2000 and has been living with a heart condition since. He shared that his brother suffered a heart attack at the farm last week and died while being rushed to Thankane for medical attention.

His uncle, Papie Mabille said his nephew was born with a weak heart. He said Tshepo’s father nicknamed him Scara after a certain soccer star. Likewise, he said his nephew was kind, loving and respectful and pledged to continue supporting his nephew’s young family.

A cousin, Mr Mmetla Masire said the late Tshepo was born a logistician that they relied on to spearhead crucial family events.

Brother in-law, Mr Clement Kgosiemang said the late Tshepo was a tower of strength for his family.

A friend, Mr Rasheed Ismael said they met at LCS Gunners where they laid a solid foundation for the club. He said the late Tshepo was a hard worker and an uncommonly gifted man who loved his family. He encouraged his family to keep his memory alive by taking up where he had left off.

Another friend, Goolam Moorad urged the family to accept the fact that human beings were temporary sojourners this side of life. He said they liked different things but had a mutual respect for each other.

A neighbour, Mr Fana Magosi said he said he was thankful that the deceased had set up his children for success in life.

A nephew, Mothei Masire wistfully described his uncle as a brother and friend. “Growing up as a kid, I knew I was his first born child but as years went by I became his brother and friend,” he said.

Thee late Tshepo completed his secondary education at Anderson School, Buxton in UK and went to do his tertiary education at Derbshire College, where he graduated with a qualification in dairy farming and returned home to join the family dairy business in Pitsane.

He is survived by his wife, son and daughter, both parents, three brothers and a sister. Ends