05 Feb 2024

Botswana Public Service will bid farewell to one of its renowned choristers as Mr Oaitse Gaonakala, a dedicated music lover and leader, retires at the end of May. 

Throughout his years of service, he has been a driving force in promoting choral music within government proceedings, particularly in his ministry and department.

Mr Gaonakala’s love for music dates back to his early days as a teacher, when he founded a choir and achieved recognition at national competitions. 

His passion for music led him to focus on teaching music, eventually leading him to the Botswana Public Service College (BPSC), in 2004 where he has made significant contributions to the musical scene. 

He trained and led the choir also known as Dipilara till 2014, something he says was fulfilling to him. 

In 2015, he was called upon to adjudicate the Public Service choirs competitions where he contacted his associates who assisted with professional adjudicators who were to help with the fair adjudication of choirs. 

“It was a smooth year as I managed to find credible adjudicators,” he clarified. 

In 2016, Mr Gaonakala left for further education leaving the choirs competition in a bad state until the advent of COVID when they came to a complete halt. 

“The choirs scattered as we could not meet and other constraints were at play,” he noted. The Dipilara Choir lead has been working on skills sharing as he wants more people to be more than singers but also proficient as he taught some to read music with a plan to further equip others who are Dipilara choir members.

“Ke alositse batho ba le bantsi mma. Ha o tsaya Rre Lazarus Gadiimelwe, wa composer wa mogokgo wa Mmanaana school head, ke ngwanake. Ke mo opedisitse. Ke ene yo ke ne ke wina ka ene up to Mahalapye.

Go nale Rre yo mongwe o mo sepodising kwa Kanye gatwe Gera Morris, ene ke mo tsere from modulator scale ke mo ruta gore moopelo o balwa jang. Ha o go tsietsa o re o bala jaana, o tshwanetse o divertele to French time interpretation,” he expounded.

As he looks forward to retirement, Mr Gaonakala plans to venture into commercial agriculture while also considering establishing a Human Resources consultancy.  His dedication to his work and his beliefs as a Christian have been fundamental to his career, and he looks to continue living with purpose even after retirement.

With his impending retirement in the position of Chief Administration Officer II as Programme Administrator, Mr Gaonakala is preparing to embrace new challenges and opportunities, demonstrating the same energy and commitment he has shown throughout his career. Ends