'Fly free dude!� - An ode to Garai Makaya

Makaya after a jump at the Makgadikgadi Epic PIC: THALEFANG CHARLES
Makaya after a jump at the Makgadikgadi Epic PIC: THALEFANG CHARLES

Dude! Where do I start? Wait, I need a soundtrack for this. Cue in, Sail by Awolnation. Let me start from the aircraft. On board the Atlas Angel at five kilometres above the ground during the Makgadikgadi Epic.

It was my last tandem skydive and I was attached to Corne Vorster, that dude who flew the extra large Botswana flag during BOT50 celebrations at the National Stadium and we were in the same load with you – my very last flight with you.

I remember how you casually checked out your altimeter and upon realising that the plane had reached the right altitude, you just prepared for the exit like it was all normal. In fact you actually caught a nap as the flight was going up while we were a bunch of scared souls praying that everything should be all right.

Editor's Comment
Prudence must remain Botswana’s North star

These are not ordinary times. Yet, history reminds us that this nation has navigated difficult waters before and did so by clinging firmly to the principles of prudence and macroeconomic stability. From independence in 1966, Botswana chose a path few resource-rich countries managed to sustain. Diamond revenues were not treated as windfalls for reckless expansion, but as capital to be managed with caution. The establishment of fiscal rules,...

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