Tribute to Legong Raditlhokwa
Correspondent | Tuesday February 3, 2015 14:51
Legong or “Shuffle” as his friends and school mates nicknamed him was a gifted, brilliant humble industrious, creative and exceptional student. For instance, “Log” wrote part of his COSC exams whilst hospitalized but still managed to obtain a 1st class.
Here was a brilliant student with an analytic mind and good public speaking and debating skills which would make him a good lawyer, so I recommended to him to think of doing law as a career, but Log as an independent thinker and assertive person would have none of it.
According to him law would restrict him to a specific area of thinking, he needed to do something that would broaden his thinking skills He settled for Social Work.
Therefore, his pure choice of social work as career was not inadvertent but truly personal, that is why he was successful and excelled to the level of Professor because he had interest and was passionate about what he was doing.
As an individual, Raditlhokwa was enthusiastic and eager to assist people with social ills and challenges in life, to empower them to live a better life. He had a benevolent and good will spirit for our society and the rest of mankind, and as a communicator he was direct and spontaneous, there was no room for skepticism.
During my tenure as staff advisor for Selibe Pikwe Secondary School debating society (1984-1988) I observed and noticed his rare qualities of critical and analytic thinking at the school debating society, because given the opportunity he would always outclass his opponents in public speaking, and other students believed in what he said, he was an opinion leader with a high sense of self esteem, therefore, he would always be the team leader.
That was the time when schools debated topics such as liThe western education system has brought more harm than good to African societies”, “Failures and Successes of United Nations security council”, “Arms Race and the Cold War including the Evil nature of apartheid etc “Soprano” as Radithokwa was popularly called by his debate mates always did his independent research and gathered his team mates for mentoring and coaching. My duty as staff advisor for Debating Society would be to arrange for a rehearsal in-order to verify facts and pick the appropriate squad for our team. Our team always emerged victorious.
This is the debating school that would later attract very intelligent hardworking students such as Bengbame “Banks” Sechele, Gaopalelwe “Ghee” Kepaletswe, Sennye uBull” Obuseng, Mokganedi “Zara” Botlhomilwe, Kebaabetswe Moshe, the late Kemang Kebaagetse and Diphetogo Maswabi to name but a few.
These students are now men of calibre and occupy high positions in the society, for instance, Hon. Sechele and Hon. Kepaletswe now sit on the bench of the High Court of Botswana.
Raditlhokwa would later rejoin Selibe Pikwe Secondary School in 1986/87 after completing his Tirelo Sechaba as a temporary Setswana teacher. During this time he also assisted me in drama, traditional music and dance and debating.
We would prepare our team for Drama festivals, and during rehearsals if some student could not act his/her part properly he would get onto the stage to demonstrate to the student how the action should be done, he was a good actor.
Some of the Plays we presented included Sebaga sa Lorato by Ray Matlapeng Molomo and improvised versions of Botshelo lootwana la koloi boa dikologa and Twilight Zone of street kids by Cedric Ramabele- Molosiwa. I later met “Shuffle” at UB (2005-2006) this time around he was a Senior lecturer in Social work whilst I was part time associate lecturer in Educational Management.
He had been a lecturer at UB for at least 2 decades and I was learning the ropes. We would sit on the bench in open space around the campus and he would teach me on how to become an effective lecturer, he was now my mentor and coach.
The last time we really met and got into something serious was in 2010 at St Joseph’s College before I retired, I had invited him to make a guidance and counseling presentation in our morning assembly which he did very well.
Later on we got into my office where upon we discussed contemporary issues for 1 hour.
I just learnt of his passing on by Friday 30th January, 2015 and take this opportunity to extend heart-felt condolences to his family,
We have lost a true son of Africa, a Mentor, Debator, Great thinker, Communicator and Patriot.
May his soul rest in Peace. Good people live for ever
Cedric Amabele-Molosiwa, former Agriculture teacher – SPSS (1982- 1988)