Pat van Rensburg - the quiet old man of Segogwane Way

Motlhaleemang Ntebela | Friday June 23, 2017 06:00

 

I did not know him that closely until I was employed in 1994, by Mmegi Publishing Trust (MPT), the organization he founded back in 1988. MPT office was at the premises of Foundation for Education with Production (FEP) in Segogwane Way Maruapula in Gaborone.

Patrick van Rensburg lived in one of the flats upstairs. So I saw him quite often throughout the years I worked for MPT.  Besides being founder of both FEP and MPT Pat was also former editor of Mmegi Newspaper that he had revived in 1984 following its dormancy. Mmegi was started in Serowe in 1967 as a newsletter for the secondary school and brigades.

It was published for a few years before it became dormant.  So as the winds of change blew again in Botswana in the 1980s Pat was requested to revive the brigades in Serowe. Mmegi was one of the projects he helped to revive. From that time up to date Mmegi newspaper has grown in leaps and bounds to become one of the major private newspaper in Botswana.

Mmegi Newspaper was at the time it was revived was owned by MPT. It was used as a vehicle through which ordinary people could have a say in the way they were governed by contributing stories that were published in the newspaper. When I joined MPT it was some two years since ownership of Mmegi Newspaper by MPT had been transferred to a private company, Dikgang Publishing Company (DPC).  Then MPT was a major shareholder in DPC. Other sharehpolders were Cooperation for Research Development and Education (CORDE), Botswana Mine Workers Union (BMWU) and several private individuals.

Throughout my work at Segogwane Way Pat was a quiet old man who seemed quite content with his life and the way Mmegi was run by Methaetsile Leepile, and for a very long by Titus Mbuya as editors and later as managing directors. There were other editors of Mmegi after these two including longest serving one Sechele Sechele, Mesh Moeti, Tshireletso and others.

Pat would on occasion write an article on FEP- the organization he ran until his death, or on any issue of interest he was inclined to share with Mmegi readers. My interaction with Pat was limited to my checking on him once in a while, and his attendance of annual general meetings of MPT. Even at these meetings he rarely spoke unless it was necessary to do so. 

I remember one instance though, a few years ago when DPC the publishers of Mmegi Newspaper moved from Segogwane Way to their new premises in Gaborone main mall. As usual I had just gone to check on him. It was a different Pat from the contented old man I knew. He was fuming as he told me how he wasn’t consulted on the impending move of DPC to the main mall. I was skeptical about his lack of consultation but listened as he poured his lungs out on the matter.  I finally told him I would ask Titus Mbuya about it. The latter confirmed having consulted the old man about the move in time.

It was then that I thought that the old man of Segogwane Way must have been suffering from separation anxiety. He would miss reading the newspaper he founded like he had done throughout its stay at Segogwane Way.   As fate would have it, Pat continued to read a copy of his newspaper every morning at his premises.

Mmegi continued to be distributed after printing, from Segogwane Way for a few years following its relocation to Gaborone main mall. I believe when he was relocated to Serowe a few years before his death he was once again a happy old man.

May Pat’s soul rest in peace!