Thupa gae bolae, e bolaya peba

After thrashing an offending child, a Motswana elder would soothe the weeper with these words: “ Thupa gae bolae, e bolaya peba (a little spanking can kill only a rat.”At the kgotla a recalcitrant young man is made to bend over and lashed on bare buttocks.

The elders would then say “Ya mosimane ke e nkgwe (a boy deserves a canning”.

They did not discriminate who should get larruping or not.

Editor's Comment
WUC must fix its pipes, not just say sorry

“Clean water, the essence of life and a birthright for everyone, must become available to all people now.”– Michel CousteauWe see notices for Block 6, Extension 11, Gaborone, Francistown; the list grows every week. It is good that WUC warns consumers, but so many warnings point to a deep problem. Water pipes are old and falling apart. And the people who pay the bills are the ones suffering.When a main pipe bursts, taps run dry. Families in...

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