Masisi’s lexicon, way with words
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Monday July 10, 2023 06:00
Sese was not exactly a shock as outlandish statements have been the hallmark of Masisi all along. When addressing the residents of Sese, a small village a few kilometres from the diamond town of Jwaneng on Tuesday, Masisi, in his usual play of Setswana, used idioms and parables to tell the story of the De Beers deal.
He compared the mining giant to doves, who fell into the trap of the determined Botswana government.
“Akere le itse truag shagg, ka ba beela selaga. ke thaisitse maphoi ha bona kele ha jaana. Nka palelwa ke lemphorwana le go tweng De-Beers. Nako eo e bo e tla tshitha, ra bo re bitsa. Ba kile bare phephere, phephere, ga nna kgwedi di ka nna tharo di ka nna kahe, ba diega ha go ise go ye kae 25% be re mmona,” Masisi said.
While most urbanised Batswana were, and tend to always view Masisi’s comments as brash, uncouth, at worst ill-mannered, linguistics appreciate the richness in Setswana. Masisi is an orator who connects words with repetition, intonation and attitude.
His way, compared only to the second president, the late Sir Ketumile Masire, who, especially during Kgotla meetings, was known to play with words which at times would present as harsh but delivered in a humorous and impactful way.
An incident which comes to mind was when Masire was addressing people he used to call “matlhogojane”. Unlike Masisi, by then people had accepted that Masire likes to joke with people and they seem not to accept the way the President is speaking.
The same goes for Masisi, who when addressing ordinary people, would go into simplified language and play with words to effectively communicate. The usual shock response to Masisi’s way could be due to the fact that his predecessors, Presidents Festus Mogae and Ian Khama were limited in the knowledge of the richness of the language.
Khama, found it difficult to express himself in the vernacular. However, some believe that Masisi is trying hard to prove to Batswana that he could speak Setswana well, which at the end puts him in a corner.
While some people believe that leaders must use proper language at Kgotla meetings, on the contrary, Professor Thapelo Otlogetswe at the Department of Humanities at University of Botswana differs with some of the opinion people view on Masisi’s speech.
“Masisi used a jovial language which he wanted to show that the government has become victorious in negotiations with De Beers. His tone was about his achievement and to show that they had won. He has his own style of speaking and other presidents had their own way. Setswana words have different meanings and it is always how one uses words. The residents of that village have understood him very well because he used words that they could relate to,” Otlogetswe said in an interview on Thursday.
In addition, former president Festus Mogae at a Kgotla meeting in Mogoditshane, once told residents of that village that; “ke tla le kabolola ditshoka” and it also caused a debate because some could not understand the context of that and interpreted it differently.
He said during the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) event when former president Ian Khama was being put under pressure to find a wife, he jokingly told party women that; “Ga ke bate mosadi yo o kana ka MmaTshireletso o ka nthobela di shock tsa koloi”.
It also brought debate as some people believed that Khama was stereotyping fat women but those who understood the context of his phrase defended him. Ketlogetswe said what Masisi said has not distorted the meaning of what he had wanted to say and its meaning.
He said Masisi even made sure that he differentiated issues hence he told residents of Sese that he would talk about those who took 10% of Okavango Diamond Company at the political rallies. “Ba bangwe re tla kopana ko di pipiring. Ke tla bo ke raga,” Masisi said.
Constitutional review
Still at Sese but on a different matter, Masisi called on the residents to guard against their constitutional rights in relation to language and ethnicity.
Masisi noted that during the consultative process of the review of the constitution, many spoke strongly against the dominance of certain tribes, especially in the Ntlo Ya Dikgosi.
He reminded the villagers that under the constitution, all Batswana are equal therefore, in the structures of governance, it should stay so.
“Some clauses of the constitution want us to go back to you for a referendum. Please let’s unite and let us not be divided. We are not a monarchy but a Republic. Some believe that they had been oppressed. I know some do not take this issue correctly. We should understand that we are all Batswana. Let’s debate this matter soberly and objectively,” Masisi said.
He said a White Paper would be discussed in this winter Parliament since the government is about to complete its position about the constitutional review amendment.