13 May 2026

 The late former president Mr Festus Mogae was a conservative economist who did not believe in being adventurous in business activities. Even after leaving government, everything he did was well calculated, with risks carefully profiled and analysed.

Mr Charles Mbiganyi Tibone, business mogul and longtime friend to Mr Mogae, highlighted during an interview on Saturday that this measured approach and strong work ethic defined Mogae’s years in the business world.

“He was someone who assessed risk very carefully,” Mr Tibone said. “He picked his ventures deliberately and mainly got involved in listed businesses where governance would be subject to scrutiny.”

Mr Tibone noted that Mogae believed in thoroughly analysing any opportunity before venturing into it, avoiding excessive debt, and only investing when one had sufficient equity to influence the direction of the business.

He often advised young and upcoming entrepreneurs to be risk-conscious rather than adventurous. While high-risk ventures could yield high returns, the late former president belonged to the school that favoured steady, pedestrian but sustainable outcomes.

The two men, along with a close circle, frequently discussed business and national matters over lunches and dinners at the State House, a group informally known as “Mogae’s Kitchen Cabinet.” It was in these settings that Mr Tibone witnessed Mogae’s formidable intellect and principled character.

The late former president, Mogae, joined the business fraternity only after leaving government, strictly adhering to general orders as a civil servant that barred such activities. His first notable exposure came through opportunities like the listing of Sechaba, where discussions around buying shares exemplified his thoughtful style.

With time he ventured into consortiums and Mr Tibone singled out the Smart Partnership Enterprise, a consortium which he was into with Mogae and others which conceived the Fields Mall.

Other than that Mogae was part and parcel of a few other consortiums which gave birth to formidable projects across the country and beyond.

When Botswana lost its third President on May 8, 2026 at the age of 86, the nation lost one of its most deliberately prepared architects of modern prosperity.

Mogae’s journey was exceptional. From a young Motswana sent abroad for world-class education in the final years before independence, he rose steadily: planner in the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, Permanent Secretary, IMF stint in Washington DC, Governor of the Bank of Botswana, Permanent Secretary to the President, Vice President, and finally President.

“No other Motswana has had that kind of internship for leadership,” Mr Tibone said with conviction. “He did not campaign for leadership. He evolved into it through natural progress,” he added.

Mr Tibone described Mogae as a man of unwavering principle, remarkable humility, and down-to-earth character; qualities he attributed to his technocratic training. Mr Mogae often advised younger people: “As you go up, be kind to those you encounter along the way, because you never know, on your way down, they may be the ones you have to socialise with.”

His presidency faced some of Botswana’s toughest challenges. He successfully led the campaign to reposition Botswana’s diamonds away from the “blood diamonds” narrative through the enduring “Diamonds for Development” vision. At the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis, he boldly declared the emergency at the United Nations and drove a pragmatic national response.

Major projects conceived during his tenure include the Kazungula Bridge, while he also championed limited presidential terms (maximum ten years) and the establishment of Botswana’s second university, Botswana International University of Science and Technology, insisting on the word “International” to ensure global standards.

Even after office, Mogae continued contributing to regional peace efforts, including in Sudan, while retaining his unassuming and principled demeanor.

Through the eyes of his friend Charles Tibone, Festus Mogae emerges as a rare leader, a cautious businessman, measured technocrat, and deeply committed statesman who placed facts, consultation, and the welfare of every Motswana above rhetoric or personal glory.

Botswana has lost one of its finest, but his purposeful legacy endures in the institutions he built and the lives he touched. BOPA1105lebo