July – The Presidential Month

July – The Presidential Month

[ENG] The third Monday of July is celebrated as President’s Day every year in Botswana, and is a paid public holiday. This holiday is usually extended into the subsequent Tuesday, making it one of Botswana’s two guaranteed four-day long weekends (with the other being Easter Weekend).
Despite this last fact, there are still many people who are always seemingly confused by the occurrence of President’s Day and Sir Seretse Khama Day every July – and the fact that these are two different holidays is always news to them – reminiscent of Drew Barrymore’s character in Adam Sandler’s “50 First Dates”.

Well, this is how it works: Botswana’s first president, Sir Seretse Khama, was born on the first of July, 1921, while his then vice president and eventual successor, Sir Ketumile Masire was born 22 days after the former’s fourth birthday (making him a fellow July-born). This may have had a great influence in choosing a date in July for President’s Day.
However, Sir Seretse’s birthday (on the 1st of July) is also celebrated as a paid [one-day] national holiday.

As fate would have it, the current President, Dr Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi, was also born in July. His birthday is on the 21st – just two days before that of Sir Ketumile. Sitting not very far from these dates is the third president, Dr Festus Gontebanye Mogae‘s birthday, in August. So from the five Presidents that this nation has had so far, four were born in the immediate vicinity of July (three actually within the month), with the odd one out being the past-immediate, Lt Gen Seretse Khama Ian Khama, whose birthday is almost halfway across the year, in February.

Now, to make it even more interesting, with the exception of the incumbent Slumber Tsogwane, Botswana has had four other vice presidents who did not eventually take up the “first citizen” mantle, Messrs Lenyeletse SeretsePeter MmusiLt Gen Mompati Merafhe, and Dr Ponatshego Kedikilwe, who were born in the following months respectively: June, May, June, July. This would, no doubt make for an interesting statistical bar chart or scatter graph.

The placement of Botswana’s President’s day on the third Monday of July means it can sometimes occur on the July 18, which is famous for being the birthday of another famous former President in the region: Nelson Mandela of South Africa. Now, given the geographic proximity and historical association of South Africa with Botswana, it is not uncommon to find people [in South Africa] assuming that Botswana’s President’s Day is either in honour of, or a direct celebration of Nelson Mandela Day. Sheer coincidence.
An interesting fun fact about Mr Mandela: before his arrest to the 27-year term at Robben Island, he travelled on an Ethiopian passport, with a Setswana name, David Motsamayi. Motsamai (in Botswana orthography) means “walker”, and his biography’s titles had an uneasy Walk to Freedom motif.

There are many another interesting and presidential births and events that surround Botswana’s immediate diplomatic environment, including birthdays and independence days of friends and friendly countries, which would make quite a fascinating read. But even without further reading, it is quite compelling that through destiny, fate, or mechanisations of man, July deserves the title Botswana’s Presidential Month.

Le fa go ntse jalo, go na gape le letsatsi la boitapoloso le lengwe gone mo kgweding ya Phukwi, le le itsegeng ka Letsatsi la ga Sir Seretse Khama. Selo se se tshabelelwa ke go tsala ketsaetsego mo bathong bangwe, ngwaga le ngwaga, ba palelwa ke go farologanya malatsi a.

Dikgang tsa matsalo a Phukwi ga di felele fa, ka go na le ba bangwe ba ditsala tsa Botswana, le mafatshe a mangwe a a mo botsalanong le rona a a bonyeng boipuso ka kgwedi yone e. Ka jalo, ga go thona, le fa ele, go naya Phukwi maemo a gore ke ene Kgwedi ya Botautona ya Botswana.

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