The bold Julian Mukwesi Nganunu

Snowy Tonoko
Correspondent | Monday April 22, 2013 00:00

 

In 1970 he married Marianne, a Swede, and they were blessed with a son Dzikamani and later, a daughter, Johanna. The first born of eight, Nganunu was primarily raised by his mother since his father left to work in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe when he was very young. Like most children did at the time, he herded cattle and grew crops.

Nganunu is a hardworking, determined and positive soul. In 1949, at the age of eight, Nganunu went to Mapoka Primary School to do sub A, sub B and then standard 1- 6. In 1958 he went to St Joseph's college to pursue his junior and secondary education. When he was reading for form 4 in 1961 he was expelled from school because he had taken part in a strike that was about the student's welfare particularly the food and the behaviour of the boarding master. Nonetheless in March 1963 he continued with school and combined his form 4 and 5 completing at the end of that year. The dignitaries that Nganunu went to school with include amongst others Vice-President Ponatshego 'PHK' Kedikilwe and Founder Chairman and CEO of Botswana Telecommunications Authority (BTA) Moses Lekaukau.

Nganunu's first job was in 1962. He worked in Francistown in a clothing store as a cashier for one month before leaving the shop to be a teacher in Kasane at Kazungula Primary School until February 1963. In 1964 he took a temporary job as a teacher at Masunga Primary School until August. The same year in September the unpretentious looking man went to the London, England for his A' levels at Campden Town College completing in 1965. The same year in September Nganunu went to the University of London for his Law Degree (LLB), he went to the London School of Economics (The LSE) under the University of London. He completed in 1969 after going to Gray's Inn for his Professional Law Studies (BL).

In 1969 he relocated to Botswana and started to work at the Attorney General's Chambers in Gaborone as an Assistant State Council. When asked why he chose Law he said when at St Joseph's College he used to read a lot about lawyers and that is when then he developed a passion for Law.

From the years 1969-1970 Nganunu worked as an Assistant State Council doing criminal prosecutions both at the Magistrate and the High Court working from Attorney General's office in Lobatse with Judge President of the Court of Appeal Ian Kirby and Mr David Magang. In 1971 he moved back to the Attorney Generals headquarters in Gaborone and worked as a Legal Advisor (Lands). Nganunu was responsible for the doing the legal part of selling, buying and convergence and Town Planning of land on behalf of Government.

In 1973 he was later promoted to State Counsel and he moved to another sector of Attorney General's Chambers called Civil Division. Here he dealt with civil cases and gave wide varying advise to Ministries. The 1973 he became Senior State Counsel. The following year Nganunu became Deputy Attorney General and in 1975 he was Acting Attorney General for the whole year when Moleleki Mokama went to further his studies in America. In 1976-1978 he was Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Minerals, Resources, Water Affairs and Energy. Nganunu brought four main significant changes in the ministry during his term in office.

The ministry was relatively new when he took over from Baledzi Gaolatlhe. Nganunu firstly grew the Ministry specifically its Administration; secondly he established a scheme for piped water and electricity supply in big and small villages. Nganunu then facilitated the growth of Botswana Power Corporation (BPC), making it more efficient and large. The other initiative was the negotiations and the improvement of Diamond Mines in Botswana. 'I spend a substantial amount of time in the negotiations,' he said.

When Nganunu became P.S there was only one Diamond Mine existing, being Orapa but they as government felt the agreement between themselves and De Beers for Orapa was very much in favor of De Beers rather than government. Fortunately in 1977 De Beers discovered diamonds in Jwaneng and Letlhakane and they had to discuss mining licenses with government. 'As we negotiated for the opening of the mines, we also insisted that the Orapa agreement signed between government and De Beers be revised and be put together with the Jwaneng and Letlhakane one'' he said. Nganunu explained that the agreement was eventually conducted and this led to the digging of the mines. The new agreement was now fair to Botswana and all three mines are operating from one agreement. Nganunu was the leader of the successful team after a long period of negotiations. He praised the leadership of then Minister GKT Chiepe and Sir Seretse Khama and his deputy Vice President Ketumile Masire.

Water for the mines was also discovered at Magagarape and it now feeds Jwaneng Township and the Mine. In 1978 he left government to join the private practice as a private lawyer from 1978-1981 and he partnered with Richard Lyons at Richard Lyons Attorneys before forming his own Law Firm; Nganunu and Company. Nganunu took almost all sorts of cases that came by either civil or criminal, court work as well as office advisory work to individuals, companies and institutions on their rights and business in the office.