Shashe

There is an intriguing irony in the Tswana language name that our country obstinately uses to refer to the “Bushmen” people. Granted, the name “Bushmen” itself, is derogatory; but it is the name by which Bakhwe are known in the wider world.  Our country officially calls them “ Basarwa ” (singular –“ Mosarwa ”) in the Tswana language, a language derived from, and closely resembling ancient Sumerian language. “ Basarwa ” leaders have pointed out that the name extrapolates to “ Ba-sa-rua ” which in Tswana means “those that do not rear animal stock”. But here is the irony: anyone who owned a water well in our country before the European colonizers arrived, will tell you that his/her water well was dug/constructed by a Mosarwa artisan! So, those who “did not rear animal stock” were the artisans that dug wells for those who did rear animal stock. The irony reveals who the “ Basarwa ” really are: a mixture of Bakhwe and Ba-tsha-ina (Chinese).  This mix of nations is not unique to...

 It is generally accepted that the cradle of humanity (Homo sapiens) is here in southern Africa. It is also established that the World’s most unequal societies are in countries that are here in southern Africa. I wonder if there is any correlation between those two situations. What I do not wonder about, but am quite convinced about, is that massive inequality in the standard of living of a country’s inhabitants leads directly to social instability and conflict. People at the bottom of the social ladder simply never accept that they work less hard than those at the top. That is one reason why the former resort to taking drugs to “ease the pain”; digging up their own infrastructural copper cables to go sell and support their drug consuming habits; picking up arms to engage in cash in transit heists etc.  Southern Africa must remove this stigma of “most unequal” societies. I don’t believe that the road to a just and equitable society lies in “confiscating land” with or without c...

In answer to President Boko’s suggestion that the nation engage in discussions about whether or not to increase our soldiers’ retirement age from 45 years to 62 years I wish to register my emphatic “No, keep it at 45 years, please. Not only that, but actively consider reducing it to be the same as that of professional sportsmen such as Frankie Fredericks, Roger Federer, Serena Williams etc.” Although we habitually see the camouflage-clad pot bellies on our streets, we “civilians” hardly understand just how unfit for purpose our soldiers are, until a situation like the recent Mozambique emergency arises and our soldiers get called to go and fight the insurgents. Then all sorts of revelations come to the surface: many are on Antiretroviral (ARV) medication; hypertension treatment (high blood) etc. The majority of the rest are simply not physically fit to fight a war. Armies, whether guerrilla or conventional are expensive propositions, If we are going to keep an army, it should be a well...