Lethebe, who was renowned for his ground-breaking role as Botswana's first Ombudsman, tragically took his own life back in December 2012, leaving a profound impact on his family and the nation at large. Lethebe was a trailblazer in Botswana's legal and civic landscape. As the country's first Ombudsman, he played a pivotal role in upholding justice, fairness, and accountability in public administration. Potlaki, the author of the book and brother to Lethebe, stated that the book for his brother is a gesture to clear out his brother’s name and make people understand that he had a choice in his actions and should not be trolled for the choices he made.
“The notion of an audible silence encapsulates the prevailing societal responses towards individuals like my late brother who departed in the manner he did. It seems paradoxical since silence by definition is not audible. However, within this contradiction lies an undeniable truth that transcends the passage of time,” Potlaki said. Potlaki further added that the book penned in remembrance of his brother was not only about giving their late brother a voice but to also find closure and show their love to him even after his demise. “Writing this book is something that I did out of love for my late brother and it was really important for me to write this book because often times in Gaborone and other places, is that the only thing people tend to think is that Lethebe committed suicide. But I felt there was a bigger context to him taking his life,” Potlaki shared.
He added: “Writing this book was important because it gives the family closure.” Keen to share his brothers’ story, Potlaki stated that he penned the book in a period of six months with the help of his family members who helped in relaying the memories they had with Lethebe. Potlaki highlighted that in the book he tried depicting sometimes people in life find their back against the wall and do not see light at the end of the tunnel, which could be one of the reasons that led to his brother taking his own life. “He did what he had to do, things don’t always work out and we have to give the benefit of the doubt and understand him,” he said.
