06 Jun 2022

Multitudes of mourners converged in Serowe main kgotla on Friday to bid farewell to the first born to the late Sir Seretse Khama and Lady Ruth Khama, Jacqueline Khama who died at the age of 72. Ms Khama passed away May 24 at her home in Gaborone.

Ms Khama’s sons, Messer Dale and Marcus ter Haar said their mother was a private person, compassionate, independent, selflessness, intelligent, strict, a straight talker and generous.

Marcus said they had come to terms with the idea that they would be grieving the loss for some time to come but their mother’s death had also given them a unique opportunity to share with everybody the special character that their mother was, a character that only a few knew and understood.

He said few people knew their mother and even the group of friends that she had were few and those people who earned her trust and loyalty were even fewer. For this reason, he said, very few people understood who she really was.

Marcus said that his mother spoke to him about her exceptional bond and relationship with her parents and he believed that in many ways, his mother had a special blend of characteristics and values from both her mother and father because she demonstrated some of these values and celebrated qualities.

He also said to her family and closest friends, his mother was known for how giving and welcoming she was within the community she lived in.

Marcus said his mother dedicated many years to Lady Khama Charitable Trust and other charitable courses. “Like each of her parents my mother had distinctive and original personality and she didn’t always conform to societies expectations,” he said.

He said her mother was single minded and she never gave up a course that she strongly believed in and was respected for her fearlessness in pursuit of justice and fairness.

“My mother read widely and constantly taught us about the world and she was a fountain of knowledge and facts and was highly respected among her family and friends for this,” Marcus said.

Marcus said even with her simple means, his mother would never hesitate to offer others what little she had. She was a proud parent who taught her children the value of being humble, respectful courageous and independent, Marcus said.

While she did not spend most of her time away from her house in Gaborone, he said his mother would take comfort in knowing that her children brought her home to bid the public farewell.

For Dale, his mother was one of a kind and her absence was already felt by all of them. He said his mother was reserved and quiet in public and at home with close friends she was a completely different person.

He also said that his mother loved nothing more than a delicious home cooked meal with family followed by lively debate.

He said his mother would always tell things like she saw them but she was not always gentle about telling it and also that made friends slowly and when one was allowed in the closed circle they would become her friend for life.

Kgosi Mokhutshwane Sekgoma said he was hurt and pained by the fact that former president, Lt Gen. Seretse Khama Ian Khama and his brothers were unable to attend to attend their sister’s funeral.

Ms Khama who has three younger brothers, spent her earliest with her parents in exile in the United Kingdom. Upon the family’s return home, she attended primary school in Serowe and later secondary school in Rhodesia.

The vast majority of her working life was with the University of Botswana in the faculty of Education where she worked for 28 years before retiring in 2010. She spent much of her volunteer focus working with the Lady Khama Charitable Trust where she was a founding trustee and served for several years as chairperson. She is survived by her two sons, two daughters in law and four grandchildren.

At the end of the ceremony the family took their mothers body to Mahalapye for cremation after which a date would be for burial. Ends