Laona Segaetsho sent off with flair
Nnasaretha Kgamanyane | Monday November 10, 2014 16:36
Segaetsho, who perished in a boat accident at Lake Ngami with two others while on duty, leaves behind a pregnant spouse who also lost her mother hardly a month ago.
The media fraternity, politicians, BOMU chairperson Phempheretlhe Pheto and a cloud of mourners sent off the personality in a big way.
At the funeral, the 41-year-old former prominent broadcast journalist was described as loving, diligent, passionate, respectful and smart man who showed every person around him love.
His brother-in-law, Thuso Mphela, said the family will always remember Segaetsho as a great man who was full of life and humor. He said he was an inspiration to many. His colleagues from the American Embassy also described Segaetsho as a loving person, a hard worker and a friend. They also pointed out that they had lost a great man who would be impossible to replace.
His grieving wife of six years, Umuchilani Segaetsho’s message told the gathering about how the couple met. It touched on the endless phone calls her husband made to his wife, and the strong bond they had. She also talked about the messages and the last call Umuchilani recieved from her late husband while he was in Maun and how he told her that he was going to a place where there was no network and that he would call her when he returned later that day.
She also mentioned in her long speech of her last memories of Laona, that when she was asleep on Sunday night she heard her husband’s voice saying: “Next year we are going to our mother.
“Meaning my late mother who had passed away last month. I dismissed the voice thinking that maybe it was because on Saturday evening I told him that I was struggling to come to terms with the passing of my mother. He told me that he also used to think of and dreamt of her.”
However, Segaetsho’s wife clearly indicated that she was not coming to terms with her husband’s death. She said that she did not believe that he was gone and that she was still waiting for the call he promised to make when he returns from the tour.
Former director of MISA Botswana, Phenyo Butale, also told the gathering of how aggrieved his organisation was after the loss of MISA former chairperson, saying even though many told him that he could not make it to the top, Laona was his only inspiration who advised him not to give up and advised him to strive for the top position.
“Laona believed in me. He loved and inspired many, including myself. He is the one who always told me to challenge myself and aim for the top jobs. I am where I am because of him. He was not just a colleague at MISA but a friend and a brother,” he said.