'Uncle Parks' departs in style

Lekopanye Mooketsi
Correspondent | Monday August 16, 2010 00:00

 

Uncle Parks was leading a rural life. He lived in Metsimotlhabe outside Gaborone, where he contributed to the upliftment of the community. 

Even his house at Metsimotlhabe is modest by his standards. It is not a multi-storied mansion.  He drove through dusty roads to get to his home. That was the other side of the respected businessman. According to the villagers, Uncle Parks, as he was affectionately known, also attended social functions in the village like funerals.  He was the patron of the Metsimotlhabe Primary School. He financed the building of two culverts across the village and sponsored several community projects in Metsimotlhabe.  One of Uncle Park's neighbours, Tshekiso Tshikantwa, a mechanic, described the business tycoon as a man of the people.  'He was good and kind to us,' he said, adding that Uncle Parks was friendly to everyone. 'He did not look at you as a poor person but as another human being'. Tshikantwa said Uncle Parks used to visit him at his home workshop just to chat with him as he was fixing cars. The business tycoon used to advise him about running a business.

He said Uncle Parks liked to socialise with people at every level. At times Uncle Parks would take the boys for a drink and barbecue at one of the local pubs.

He said Uncle Parks has also brought developments to their ward.  He revealed that he was the one who brought electricity to the ward.  Tshikantwa spoke about other community projects that Uncle Parks was involved in.  He ran a social football team. He said Uncle Parks also sponsored 17 orphaned children at Ikageng Junior Secondary School. To him, the death of Uncle Parks is a great loss to the Metsimotlhabe community.

One of the teachers at the Metsimotlhabe Primary School, Morebodi Rhodes, mentioned school projects that Uncle Parks was engaged in. He also funded school projects like prize-giving ceremonies. Rhodes said he was transferred to Metsimotlhabe in 2008 and other teachers often talked about how Uncle Parks contributed to the school. Meanwhile, during Uncle Parks's memorial service, which was held at the Cathedral in Gaborone, mourners were left in stitches as speakers recalled the larger than life character that was Gaobakwe. His first son, Bissau, said he looked to his father for inspiration. Bissau is a businessman like his father. He said they will always be there for their mother Janet.

His daughter, Lebogang, told the mourners that her father was not well for some time. She said at some stage they took him to a hospital in South Africa. Even at the time of death they were planning to airlift him to Johannesburg. Uncle Parks had been admitted to a local private hospital. Prominent businessman and retired civil servant, Moses Lekaukau, recalled that Uncle Parks comes from a long way with his entrepreneurial spirit.  He says in the early 60s, the young Uncle Parks was an agent for a Mafikeng dry cleaners. Uncle Parks used those old bicycles with a big carrier in front. He went around town collecting clothes that he would take to the dry cleaners in Mafikeng. He described Uncle Parks as a straight forward person who called a spade a spade.  Lekaukau, who described himself as Uncle Parks's brother-in-law, urged his children to continue with their father's business legacy. But the man who was Uncle Parks's boyhood buddy is the former Lobatse Mayor, Legodile Serema.  Serema left the mourners in stitches as he related some of his childhood escapades with Uncle Parks. He recalled that Uncle Parks found him in Lobatse in 1956. 'I thought I was going to show him the town but he was streetwise,' he said. He said at times when he introduced Uncle Parks to people he would say 'meet my friend Mr Gaobakwe'.  But Uncle Parks would remind him that 'I am not your friend. I only happen to know you very well'. He said Uncle Parks used to take him swimming at the Lobatse Dam which was rumoured to be home to a snake. Serema said he would be in trouble at home every time after they went swimming even when he tried to deny it because the tell tale signs were there that they went swimming. He said on Saturdays they took breakfast to prisoners with Uncle Parks. Serema said although Uncle Parks was a Catholic, he attended Hill School which was founded by the United Congressional Church of Southern Africa (UCCSA) rather than Saint Theresa. 

Serema was UCCSA. But he often accompanied his friend to the Roman Catholic Church because he was impressed by the white pastors. He said Uncle Parks was persistent and forceful when presenting his arguments. Not being an aggressive fellow himself, Serema lost most of the arguments that he had with his late friend. A youthful business executive, Martinus Seboni, said he learnt a lot from Uncle Parks about business and life in general.  He said Uncle Parks often advised him to start his own business. 'You must not allow your destiny to be decided by other people,' the old man used to advise him.

Uncle Parks, he said, believed in the future of the youth. 'He believed in empowering the youth'. He said Uncle Parks was an art connoisseur. 'He collected art works. He would tell you what every piece of art meant,' he said. Seboni said Uncle Parks was a generous person.  He spoke about one incident when Uncle Parks boarded a public transport combi from BBS mall to the city centre and paid for all the other passengers.  He said Uncle Parks said he boarded the combi so that he could rub shoulders with the povo. To him, Uncle Parks was a malome to everyone.  Sports personality, Newman Motsepe, who represented the golf fraternity, said he came to know Uncle Pax in 1984.  He said Uncle Parks was also a keen golfer.Motsepe said during that time, there was racism at the Gaborone Golf Club and Uncle Parks did not tolerate it.

One day, Uncle Parks used his club to settle matters with one of the racist club members. He then spent three months without coming to the club.  When he came back he was summoned for a disciplinary hearing. 

But Uncle Parks pleaded that he was remorseful and this is why he had 'suspended' himself for three months. Motsepe said Uncle Parks was known all over and he made friends wherever he went.  He spoke about one of Uncle Parks's friends who had nothing in common with the business mogul except their love for golf. Some of the speakers at the memorial service included car magnate, Satar Dada, chief executive officer of Bokamoso Hospital, Kabelo Ebineng, and board member of the Botswana Public Officers Pension Fund, Nelson Mokgethi. Uncle Parks was renowned for his love for bling and fancy cars. He was also a snazzy dresser.  He rose from humble beginnings in the improvised Lobatse township of Peleng and became one of the country's business giants.