The teacher who never preached

Edward Mpoloka | Wednesday November 6, 2013 17:16

Because the words ‘teacher’ and ‘preacher’ rhyme in the English language, his parents must have taken some consolation that their only child had not completely defied them in the choice of a career. Besides, teaching is a form of preaching.

Khupe was born in 1927 in Plumtree, Matebeleland in present-day Zimbabwe to Mnyembane Khupe and his wife Busimbe.

His grandfather, a Pedi who had been assimilated into the Zulu Kingdom under Shaka, was part of a breakaway group led by Mzilikazi through modern-day Botswana settling in modern day Zimbabwe.

After crossing into Botswana, they settled in the Tswapong area where they engaged in ploughing. Beans (nyemba in Zulu), became their staple food. Hence the name, Mnyembane which means ‘the one who relies on beans’.

A proud Mopedi, Khupe is quick to mention that he has close ties with Chief John Nswazwi. He started Standard One in 1941 but he was self-driven enough to buy himself a book even before he went to school.

“I wanted to be ready for school because I knew I would be enrolling the following year. As a result, from the little money I had been saving, which I got from my parents as pocket money, I bought a book.

“With the help of neighbours’ children who were already going to school, I learnt how to read even before I enrolled,” he reminisces.

His parents made a living from ploughing and rearing livestock.

“Whenever there was need for quick cash, my mother would brew and sell beer,” says Khupe.

After the traditional seven years at primary school, Khupe went to Tegwane Secondary School in Zimbabwe.

“At secondary school, the fees were very high so I had to do odd jobs for the principals of the school such as chopping firewood and tending their gardens, among other things,” he remembers.

Afterwards, he became Mtshumayeli (teacher) of English, Mathematics, Ndebele, History and Geography at primary school.

He would lose his job in the early 1960s through ‘blacklisting’ for some transgression, which he is reluctant to reveal. He had risen through the ranks to become a principal. “I became school head at Tjebanga Primary School during which time I had running battles with missionaries who ran most of the schools in colonial Rhodesia.

“The schools were segregated and facilities in black schools were inferior. We made every effort to improve our lot by raising funds for development through music concerts featuring school choirs, which took place mainly at night.

“The missionaries would take the money and use it for their family upkeep, which angered me a lot. I protested at meetings and sometimes wrote letters to education officials who labelled me incurably impertinent,” he says.

Nor did he like the ways of the colonialists. He tells the story of a school inspector who was a menace to teachers. “He was ill-mannered and arrogant and believed in instilling fear in teachers. If he did not like your teaching as he sat in your class, he could assault you in front of your students. Fortunately, he never tried that on me because he had been told that I am a competent fighter who never shies away from a physical confrontation. He kept his distance,” says Khupe.

In 1962, he became a storekeeper for different stores in Matabeleland for eight years. After leaving shopkeeping he joined the Native Commission as a record keeper for ‘dipping tanks’ for Matebeleland.

But he got an opportunity to pursue his passion in 1964 when he returned to Botswana to teach at Tatitown Primary School.

The father of four and grandfather to 15 became a Botswana citizen in the 1980s. ‘Nkosi’ as he is popularly known taught at Tatitown for 17 years and then moved to Mahube Primary School where he stayed for 12 years.

Khupe augmented his income by taking another job at Tatitown Night School. “Although we had only two hours daily to instruct our students, we always produced splendid results,” he says.

Despite his proficiency as a teacher, music conductor and scout trainer, the highest office that he ever attained was that of senior teacher. “I think I was sidelined because I was a foreigner,” he says.

He remembers with a sense of nostalgia his prowess as a teacher first in Zimbabwe, then in Botswana where he always produced excellent results. “Besides teaching, I was at one time the district scout master for the Francistown. My job was to help in the training of scouts; visiting places such as Selebi-Phikwe, Mahalapye, Tutume and so forth. Sometimes, the trainees came to Francistown to meet me,” remembers Khupe.

He was a regular at the Francistown Stadium or National Stadium in Gaborone as he commanded his troops of scouts in drills.

He was a marvel to watch as a choir conductor. “The majority of times that I was a teacher at Tatitown and Mahube, I was in charge of the main choirs. I won many trophies both regionally and nationally,” he says. He boasts that no choir in the Francistown area has won a music trophy at national level since his retirement.

Although he is retired, ‘Nkosi’ does not believe the new generation of teachers has got what it takes to impart knowledge to their charges. “Even at this age, I can teach better than them. Besides, the generation of students that we taught was more receptive to education than the current generation,” he says.

Now a member of the BDP, he was once an activist of the Zimbabwe African Peoples’ Union (ZAPU). “I was part of an association which organised assistance for ZAPU members who needed to go abroad as part of the Zimbabwe Independence Peoples’ Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA),” he says.