Doing what she loves best
Ryder Gabathuse | Friday April 4, 2014 14:14
In fact, leaving the office of District Commissioner after 13 years in 2008 liberated her from the stringent Public Service Act. The former Francistown DC was now the animated and active politician.
After 36 years in the civil service, the 59-year-old whose last years were spent in the number one at the government enclave of the second city, Ntshe House, was finally free to do what she loved best – serving through politics. As is the case with the majority of top civil servants, Muzila acquired membership of the ruling party whilst in the service.
Muzila’s story of how she acquired the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) membership card is not different from the many told by top civil servants upon their retirement.
“It was the late former BDP activist and media entrepreneur Clara Olsen who recruited me to join the BDP stealthily around 1996,” said Muzila.
She joined but could not partake in active politics.
“I was inspired by the late Olsen to join the BDP and she decided to keep my life membership card at the party office until my retirement in 2008.”
Upon her retirement, Muzila joined the race for the BDP Women’s Wing positions and was elected the vice chairperson at a congress held in Tsabong.
She would later try her luck in the party parliamentary primaries in the Francistown West constituency whereupon she lost to the late Tshelang Masisi.
In 2009, she was co-opted to the party’s central committee by President Ian Khama, where she served until 2011. In 2013, she was elected the chair of the social welfare sub-committee of the BDP central committee.
Sensing that often times central committee responsibilities took much of her time she chose to instead concentrate on her campaigns in Francistown-South where she has now relocated. Her efforts were rewarded last year in the party’s primaries when she beat Robby Godknows to represent the BDP in the general elections.
Muzila has started her campaigns for the 2014 general elections in earnest. She knows very well that in the Francistown-South constituency she is facing political giants in veteran opposition politician Vain Mamela of the Botswana Congress Party and the incumbent Wynter Mmolotsi of the Umbrella for Democratic Change.
To Muzila Francistown South has the same challenges as constituencies that are hardest hit by issues of unemployment, which are skewed towards the young people.
As a housing expert, Muzila is concerned about the crowded streets and her wish is to see many of her electorates owning and not renting houses.
“It’s not decent to see even some of the elderly people still renting out accommodation in the city,” she said.
Politics has brought Muzila closer to her dream of wanting to work with the communities influencing what is happening at ground level.
She said her childhood dream was to work as a social and community development officer.
While she didn’t make it, she found solace from the fact that as a DC, she could work and influence developmental issues from higher office.
Muzila has found that in politics that dream is also lived through, saying she enjoys every aspect of it. But then challenges are never too far.
She has discovered that women politicians have many obstacles stacked against them. Among these are financial and issues of the electorate not trusting the ability of women representatives. Unbelief in women politicians is something she has picked especially during the house-to-house campaigns.
“As a DC I acquitted myself very well during my tenure of office. I only moved into active politics a few years ago but already some of the men and women who believed in me then (as a DC) have started doubting my political abilities,” she said, appealing to the people to do away with stereotypes.
Among the many accolades Muzila is the 2005 Presidential Honour of Meritorious Service bestowed on her by former president Festus Mogae.
A year before her retirement from the public service, she was also awarded the highest marks by Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government for best performance amongst all local chief executives.
Muzila has opted to pursue clean politics as opposed to the usual politics of entertainment and character assassination.
“I don’t talk about other politicians, rather I address the issues bedeviling the people in the constituency. My fight is to improve the people’s lives and not to provide political entertainment as it cannot even solve the problems of the people.” She said hers are politics of hope. Muzila is hopeful that she her team of seven council candidates will win the October elections.
“Immediately we get the power… we are going to do what the people want us to do for them and not what we want for them as it may not necessarily work for them,” she said.
Outside politics, Muzila runs Tabitha Private Secondary School.
Of her 36 years in the public service, 13 years were spent as a DC, 16 years in housing development and management of housing programmes with emphasis in the development and implementation of housing projects in support of the national policy.
The first seven years of her public service was as a police officer.
Among the colleagues in the police service was Edwin Batshu, the Minister of Labour and Home affairs, the late attorney Phazha Kgakemang, retired senior police officer, Ednah Gilika, and former vice president Mompati Merafhe who was the deputy police commissioner at the time.
Muzila is confident that her elaborate public service has put her in good stead, as she now understands the business of government.
The benefits of long service and hard work are reflected in the comfort she has built for herself. Muzila lives in her plush home located along the banks of the Tati River.
Her home is in the serene and up market Tati River Villas which is associated with the city’s rich and famous.
A member of the Roman Catholic Church, she spends some time on voluntary work through many organisations.
Academically, Muzila holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Affairs attained at Indiana University at Indianapolis, USA and Master of Social Science degree in development administration from Birmingham University, UK.