Mbonini, who is described by his former colleagues in the trade union movement as a fountain of knowledge in labour issues-passed away in the early hours of July 1, 2021 in Francistown, his daughter Kuda Mbonini confirmed.
His colleague and former Botswana Congress Party (BCP) Organising Secretary, Vain Mamela, hailed Mbonini as a paragon of virtue in the labour and political arenas. Mamela said Mbonini who was also the chairperson of the BCP’s North East Region at his untimely death, passed away-as a hard working person who also used to assist the party with his personal finances for use in various causes. “The death of Comrade Mbonini is not only a great loss to his family and party but the nation as a whole. I personally went to recruit Mbonini after he retired from BCL sometimes around 2001 and he accepted the call. I recruited him because of his great track record in Botswana’s labour politics,” said Mamela. Former Botswana Federation of Trade Unions (BFTU) deputy secretary general in the 1980s, Balekamang Gabasiane remembers Mbonini during their working days at BCL. “I remember Comrade Mbonini when he was the Chairman of Botswana Mine Workers Union (BMWU). Mbonini was a devoted cadre who performed his union duties with utmost diligence. He was a selfless and result oriented individual.
