The lady of many hats was amongst others bestowed with Botswana’s Honours awards in 1979 together with other nation builders in the likes of Dr Seligman, Richard Charles Eaton, Boy Mabuse Moapare and Jack Frank Ramsden.
Some of her illustrious works include being at matron of note in various learning institutions such as Maruapula and Moeding College.
In Maruapula, Mma Sechele will be remembered by many as a guide to many Maruapula visitors whom she used to show around the local landmarks. While at Maruapula, she served as Girls Boarding Mistress from 1980 to 1983, before assuming duties as Matron and Catering manager from 1984 to 1997.
A Girl Guide of note, joined the Girl Guide movement of Botswana in 1940 at the age of eight. Among others Mma Sechele relentlessly worked with Mma Mokama and Mma Lesolle to recruit and " develop the girl child' potential in order to make a responsible citizen in any community. The association, which is now widespread in Botswana, serves 10,310 and runs a two-year course on home economics for out-of-school girls on a national basis. The participants receive a certificate at the end of the second year in either sewing or catering.
In 2020, the Girl Guide movement joined 150 countries to celebrate the World Thinking Day. During this event Mma Sechele and the Girl Guide Chief Commissioner were worried that they were unable to lead the movement due to old age. They collectively enrolled Kgosi Mosadi Seboko and charged her to be the custodian of the Girl Guide movement in Botswana.
Narrating her career path, Mma Sechele intimated that she had initially hoped to follow a nursing career, for which she needed secondary education. However, due to the lack of Junior Certificate opportunities in Botswana at the time (Tiger Kloof had just been taken over by the South African government) and the fact that South Africa was not admitting extra-territorial students, she went to the Teacher Training College at Kanye, which she attended from 1953-55.
Upon completion, she went to the Mochudi Homecraft Centre to follow a year's course devised especially for trained teachers, although she would have liked to have done a more advanced homecraft course.
In 1963 she went to Israel with a few other women for a six month homecraft course and regretted the fact that upon their return, they were given no financial remuneration.
Mma Sechele will be remembered for her love and preservation of Sekwena culture especially the language, manners and song. She extensively contributed to research by many international scholars such as Elizabeth Wood on “The Use of metaphor and Certain Scale Patterns in Traditional Music in Botswana”.
In South Africa, she is well respected on cultural issues, notably in Lehurutshe where she pioneered the Culture Day of Gopane in North West Province.
A speaker of note, Mma Sechele enjoyed platforms as a guest speaker in many national and international forums sharing her wealth of knowledge on girl child and cultural issues. In 1977, she represented Botswana in America as a delegate during the “National Commission on the Observance of the International Women Year.”
The Queen Mother will be laid to rest on Monday July 18th at Phomolong.
*Moreri is a renowned poet and author of the poetry book “Motlhaolosa”
