Morake: An educator par excellence
Lebogang Mosikare | Friday September 1, 2017 14:39
He was the quintessence of educational professionalism and simply put, a giant education administrator and educator craftily moulded into one.
Rra Laone as Morake was referred to by the name of his first-born Laone Scheffers (nee Morake), is one of the first people in Botswana to enroll at the prestigious Tiger Kloof Institution in South Africa for his junior certificate.
The history of Tigerkloof is intrinsically linked to the prosperity of Botswana.
Amongst notable alumni of this great school in Botswana, which in the past was for argument sake, an Ivy League institution, are late former presidents Sir Seretse Khama and Sir Ketumile Masire.
Amongst some Batswana who also studied at the hallowed classrooms of Tigerkloof are Dr Gaositwe Chiepe and opposition politician, Motsamai Mpho (also deceased).
In fact, after Botswana gained independence in 1966, most of the country’s state ministers were “Old Tigers” as the school’s alumni is called.
It is not by mistake that Rra Laone is held in very high esteem in his home village of Tonota and Botswana at large for his enormous contributions to education and politics. At the Francistown and Tonota bus and taxi ranks, it was easy to see and hear why many extolled Morake adding that they will surely attend the funeral of this fallen connoisseur of education and great son of the soil.
According to Morake’s daughter Laone, the fallen colossal education luminary will be buried in Tonota on Sunday.
The BDP, which Morake joined in 1962, will hold a memorial service in his honour on Friday afternoon at the Tonota College of Education (TCE).
There is no debate that Morake served his party even in the twilight of his life and government with distinction and in equal measure.
Another memorial service, his daughter added, will be held at the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa (UCCSA) on Saturday afternoon. Morake was a staunch member of the UCCSA for many years till his death aged 86.
A taxi driver, Lekopanye Moleele (61) remembered seeing Morake in 1974 during the official opening of Rauwe Primary School.
Moleele said he would never forget Morake advising multitudes that attended the ceremony to invest a lot of their effort in positive things they do so that when they pass on, they will be remembered for their good deeds.
In synopsis, Moleele said Morake was simply advising people in jest that they came from heaven to live on earth adding that after their deaths, they will again go back to heaven where God will be expecting them to tell him what they did during their stay on earth.
“Morake said it will be embarrassing for those who did nothing to tell God that they wasted their time on earth,” said Moleele bursting into fits of laughter when he nostalgically remembered what Morake said.
To Moleele, Morake was just like his Tigerkloof alumni Masire, who had perfected the art of using jokes to address very complex issues in simple language.
Scheffers described her father as a very meticulous person in everything he did and said.
“He was an eloquent speaker who never struggled to put his point across. From his humble beginnings he beat all odds to become one of the first people in Tonota to obtain first class in his education during his formative years.
“He was an excellent teacher renowned for producing Tonota’s first cohort of technocrats who are contributing very much to the growth of the country. Finance minister Kenneth Matambo and Laone Mpotokwane are some of his products to name but a few,” said Scheffers.
On the political arena, Scheffers described her father as a selfless man who knew how to lead.
She added: “My father was a humble intellectual with deep knowledge of the strengths of his fellow politicians. He had five children but raised children of his relatives and children of his friends both in Tonota and Gaborone when he was still an MP. He accommodated many Tonota residents at his place in Gaborone when they went to the capital city for medical treatment…”
Morake’s young brother Boemo Morake described his late sibling as someone who had great passion for education.
Boemo said despite his elder brother’s status in society, he treated all people he met equally, whether they were rich or poor. To demonstrate how Morake greatly valued education, Boemo said Morake donated five cattle for the University of Botswana (UB) to be built as his contribution to the Motho le Motho Kgomo appeal (One man, one beast appeal) during his stint as the Minister of Education.
Boemo added: “Besides education, my late brother also had passion for farming… One of his teachers during his time at Tigerkloof was Dr Chiepe.” Baby Shoe, as Morake was affectionately called in football circles, lost his wife in April 1994. May his soul rest in eternal peace.