13 Jan 2014

Twenty-nine-year old Morateng Motswagole, of Bokaa village in the Kgatleng district, cuts a striking figure like that of a world class model ready to walk the ramps.

She is cool in her three-quarter pants and a black blouse with   elegantly styled box braid.

She is a graduate of the University of Botswana with a Bachelor’s Degree in Adult Education, and upon graduating in 2007, her dream was to work in any of the major centres dotted throughout Botswana. However, today, Ms Motswagole is regrettably stuck in West Hanahai, a small and poorly developed settlement outside Ghanzi Township, where she works with people as a Community Development Officer.

When she applied for a post she had thought it was tenable in the Ghanzi Township; after staying home for two years doing nothing, she was over the moon when she heard that she had landed the job she had applied for.

“I had never been to Ghanzi before; as such I was so excited to have got the position, and just the fact that I would have a job and a salary was beyond my wildest dreams,” she enthuses. Growing up in Bokaa and living close to the bright lights of Gaborone, Ms Motswagole says she never imagined that she could one day be stuck in a rural settlement where half of the people do not speak or understand her language.

“I arrived here in 2009 and I was hurt because I did not even know the kind of language the people of West Hanahai spoke and it hurt me more when there was no suitable accommodation,” she says.

For better or worse, the very first day she arrived at West Hanahai she was made to serve the settlement commuting from Ghanzi though for a short period of time because in 2010, she was moved to live permanently in West Hanahai. She says serving the settlement from Ghanzi was better because transport was provided for by government and she would come from Ghanzi in the mornings and leave West Hanahai after work in the evenings.

Things changed from better to worse when she relocated to the settlement permanently because there is no electricity, cellphones, radio/television, and public transport; “a difficult and very different world from where I come from,” she says. For one to make a phone call they have to travel to Ghanzi, often just for a single call, she says, adding that for one to listen to radio it should be the old type Omega make because the big modern ones are not as powerful.

There were times when she became angry and wanted to give up because of the environment she was in. However, she says she hung on reminding herself that she once stayed for two years without a job and that she had a child to support.

“I was a party person, did everything girls my age did, and all that died the moment I signed the employment contract,” she notes.

Ms Motswagole says she used to own latest phones in the market, wore fashionable clothes and even knew what was happening in the entertainment industry. However, all that has faded away with time and now all she owns is an ordinary Nokia phone just to have contact with relatives especially her mother who looks after her kid back home. The mother of  a four-year-old boy says she used to regret her decision but when she looks back she realises it was a blessing in disguise.

“I have come to love West Hanahai like I love my own village and I take each day as it comes,” she says, adding that she has learnt to have a good attitude towards everything.

“That is how I have managed to enjoy my surroundings and it shows in how I relate to the locals who treat me like their own children,” she points out.

More than anything else, Ms Motswagole says she loves her work and she is committed to assisting people in remote areas develop themselves and their surroundings. She advises other young people to experience life in rural areas, adding that she has learnt many interesting things and life skills herself.

‘This is my Tirelo Setshaba, and I hope I will graduate with flying colours when I relocate to other places,’ she says proudly.

The social worker says living where there are no developments can be disappointing but together with some teachers at the local school they have learnt to adjust and entertain themselves through sessions such as baby shower, house warming, and kitchen parties. ENDS