15 Dec 2021

He is 66 and she is 73.

They have been cohabiting for over 40 years and between them, have five grown children.

Now they are legally husband and wife. When the two said, “I do”, the crowd in the big white tent, erected the previous day by the district commissioner’s office, erupted in ululations, applause and whistles.

Having placed the rings on each other’s finger, the groom, Olathilwe Motsumi wrapped his arms around his wife, Gaolelelwe Olathilwe in joyful embrace, as she happily returned the favour.

The two clasped for a moment amid the jubilant, noisy welter of well-wishers.

“Finally, I am a married man. I have my wife,” Olathilwe would later say outside the tent, as happy smiles creased his and wife’s wrinkled faces. Gaolelelwe wore a modern wedding dress and white shoes.

He, a black suit, white shirt and matching tie and shoes.

All this was courtesy of Re a Nyalana, an NGO established solely to build marriages and families in Botswana.

Motsumi and his wife were only one of 29 couples whose marriages were solemnised on this cool Tuesday morning, all facilitated by the NGO.

The number would have been bigger had all the couples registered for ceremony attended.

“We registered 21 couples from Manxotae, 25 from Maposa and Sepako which brings the total to 46 couples.

However, only seven couples from Sepako and one from Maposa came,” said Re-a-Nyalana national coordinator Ms Annah Morwaagole.

Some of the couples could not attend because they had a change of heart at the last minute, while some, like one nonagenarian and his octogenarian sweetheart could not attend because of poor communication.

“The old man is 91 and the old woman, 85. He stays at the cattle post and she at the lands. We had communication challenges and couldn’t get the two to prepare for the event. So a separate arrangement has been made for them,” said Ms Morwaagole.

The families, being remote area dwellers, were all ferried from their homes to the host village of Manxotai by government vehicles, courtesy of the District Commisioner’s office.

The youngest family was a couple in their mid-30s. Altogether over 50 people, mostly children and grandchildren of the older spouses, attended the event.

Ms Morwaagole wishes the initiative could receive greater recognition among communities. “There are some people who shun Re-a-Nyalana, as they believe it as an initiative for the poor.

These people tend to discourage those who need to legalise their unions,” she complained.

That explained the reason for a change of heart by some of the couples.

Sadly, people often relied on hearsay and this caused them to lose out on beautiful opportunities. People, she urged, should seek clarity on Re-a-Nyalana initiative from relevant authorities and not rely on hearsay.

The initiative, she said, was waging war against cohabitation, which many had adopted, despite its numerous disadvantages.

“If you look at it, lately young people are choosing to cohabit instead of getting married. But, in many cases, it ends badly for either partner or both,” she warned.

To avoid any pitfalls, get married, said Kgosi Letsogo Kgaswa of Nata when appreciating Re-a-Nyalana, and the couples for building courage to marry.

“By getting married, you have built a sure foundation, a legacy for your children,” he said.

Re-a-Nyalana has been facilitating the legal union of cohabiting couples since 2011 and has todate enabled solemnisation of 5854 marriages. Ends