Motswaledi�s father pleads for peace
Onalenna Kelebeile | Monday August 11, 2014 11:18
He was speaking in front of his son’s coffin, which was draped in gold and black colours of the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD) and Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), which the late politician was the president and secretary generally of respectively.
Motswaledi senior successfully transformed the well-attended funeral last Friday held in a huge marquee in front of the UCCSA church from hard emotions to a celebration of his son’s life.
He told multitudes that included former president Sir Ketumile Masire and the prime minister of Lesotho, that although his son had challenges in his life like everybody, he never allowed challenges to stand on his way. He said this to a deafening applause from thousands of mourners who came from across the country to pay their last respects.
“My son never wanted to disturb peace of this country,” he said and observed that things that happen in other countries should not be copied and applied in Botswana.
He was particularly disturbed by reports of some unruly UDC youth activists who had vowed to disrupt the funeral proceedings if the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) leader Dumelang Saleshando and Central District Council chairman and Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) councillor Lesego Raditanka, were allowed to pay their respects to the departed hero.
Both Saleshando and Raditanka had to be cancelled from the programme so that the emotionally charged youth would not disrupt the proceedings.
The Motswaledi family had to duly consult the two politicians before disappointedly removing them from the programme.
Only a few BDP members were brave enough to stand the taunts from the angrily UDC members.
He told the mourners that those who had lived with Gomolemo would definitely love peace because in his life, his son was a peace loving character.
His take was that, “When people differ with you it does not suggest that they hate you. Let’s march with our opposite sides without hatred.”
Motswaledi senior was in a celebratory mood as he occasionally requested mourners to clap hands in appreciation of the good deeds by his son.
“I do not carry a heavy heart in me because I know that Gomolemo accomplished all that he had been assigned to do. (Tsa gagwe di fedile go setse tsa lona ba le tshelang. Lona ba le neng le eteletse nae le seka la rumola ope eseng jalo le tlile go phopha. Do not waste time with childish games. Let there be peace like the name Gomolemo means. We do not want riots but peace to prevail,” he emphasized.
Gomolemo’s younger brother Gape Motswaledi who was also well composed said Gomolemo never grew weary of doing good and said his brother believed that everyone has an assignment in life while God provides all the tools.
He said many people consulted the family hoping that the family would deter Gomolemo from pursuing his political aspirations but the family supported him. “He looked back and saw the positive results of his efforts and he had no time to rest. There are so many instances that Gomolemo could have lost his life, he went through terrible accidents but he survived because he had not completed his assignment,” he said.