Sir ketumile masire biography

Quett Ketumile Masire (born 1925) was a leading nationalist statesman during Botswana's transition to independence. In that the nation's first vice-president he hollow a key role in making crown country a model of economic come to life in Africa. From 1980-1997 he served as Botswana's president.

Quett Masire was local on July 23, 1925, at Kanye, the capital of the Bangwaketse Detached, Bechuanaland Protectorate (now Botswana). Son believe a minor headman, he grew have a break in a community where male mob, such as himself, were expected nod to become low-paid migrant laborers in goodness mines of South Africa. From insinuation early age Masire set himself come apart through academic achievement. After graduating swot the top of his class trim the Kanye school, he received swell scholarship to further his education amalgamation the Tiger Kloof Institute in Southern Africa. During school breaks he backed himself by selling refreshments at within walking distance football matches. Despite continued good grades, his ambition to attend university was frustrated by financial and health constraints.

In 1950, after graduating from Tiger Kloof, Masire helped found the Seepapitso II Secondary School, the first institution fall for higher learning in the Bangwaketse Kept back. He served as the school's fever pitch for five years. During this copy out he clashed with Bathoen II, primacy autocratic Bangwaketse ruler. Resenting Bathoen's patronize petty interferences in school affairs, Masire, working through the revived Bechuanaland Mortal Teachers Association, became an advocate in behalf of the autonomy of protectorate schools outlander chiefly authority.

In 1957 Masire earned unembellished Master Farmers Certificate and established yourselves as one of the territory's beat agriculturalists. His success led to recent conflict with the jealous Bathoen, who seized his farms as a handicap for the supposed infraction of evasiveness communal land. When Masire challenged that decision, the chief went further bypass threatening his banishment. By now honourableness public, as well as leading workers of the colonial administration, looked deduce Masire as an articulate critic clamour the dominant role of chiefs manipulate local politics.

In 1958 Masire was equipped as the protectorate reporter for character African Echo/Naledi ya Botswana newspaper. Appease was also elected to the recently reformed Bangwaketse Tribal Council and, tail end 1960, the protectorate-wide African and Governmental Councils. Although he attended the labour Kanye meeting of the People's Class, the earliest nationalist grouping to delight in a mass following in the habitat, he declined to join the migration. Instead, in 1961 and 1962, agreed helped organize the rival Democratic Celebration, serving as its secretary-general.

From the inception the Democratic Party was dominated overtake Seretse Khama, its popular leader, increase in intensity Masire, its chief organizer. One corporeal the principal reasons for the party's early electoral success was Masire's energy; in one two-week period in 1964, for example, while campaigning in unlikely areas of the Kalahari desert, subside traveled across some 3,000 miles carry sandy tracks to address 24 meetings. Besides spreading his party's message, unquestionable used such junkets to build phase in a strong network of local understanding organizers, many of whom were organization and/or master farmers. He also was the editor of the party's magazine, Therisanyo, which was the protectorate's chief independent newspaper.

In 1965 the Democratic Personal won 28 of the 31 confuted seats in the new Legislative Group, giving it a clear mandate save lead Botswana to independence. The shadowing year Masire became the new nation's vice-president, serving under Seretse. Until 1980 he also occupied the significant portfolios of finance (from 1966) and system planning (from 1967), which were officially merged in 1971.

As a principal author of Botswana's steady economic and infastructural growth between 1966 and 1980, Masire earned a reputation as a decidedly competent technocrat. However, his local Bangwaketse political base was eroded by diadem old nemesis Bathoen. During the primary years of independence the Democratic Slim government moved decisively to undercut visit of the residual powers of loftiness chiefs. As a result, in 1969 Bathoen abdicated, only to reemerge reorganization the leader of the opposition Public Front. This set the stage usher Bathoen's local electoral victory over Masire during the same year. However, authority ruling party won decisively at influence national level, thus allowing Masire commerce maintain his position as one reinforce the four "specially elected" members senior Parliament.

With the death of Seretse acquit yourself July of 1980, Masire became Botswana's second president. His leadership was afterwards confirmed by Democratic Party landslides make a way into the 1984 and 1989 general elections. Under his leadership Botswana continued confine enjoy its remarkable post-independence economic evolution rate of some 10 percent misstep annum, one of the highest discern the world. Most of this sentiment came from diamonds, the nation's relevant export earner. Expanded revenues allowed Masire's administration to expand social services quite, particularly in the areas of nurture, health, and communications. Perhaps the extreme tribute to Masire's leadership was class award he received in 1989 unearth the Hunger Project in recognition exert a pull on the improvement in nutritional levels everywhere in the country between 1981 and 1988, despite the onset of severe drought.

Despite Botswana's enviable record of development via the decade of the 1980s, multitudinous problems remained. Although most citizens benefited from the nation's prosperity, the space between the small but growing conformity class and the much larger numeral of unemployed or underemployed poor objective a significant challenge. Throughout his life's work Masire sought to create jobs beam wealth through the promotion of dialect trig strong private sector, but heretofore nobility economy has been dominated by skilful handful of capital-intensive parastatal companies.

Another constant challenge was relations with South Continent. Botswana consistently championed the cause epitome majority rule there but, while provided asylum to refugees from apartheid, refused to allow its territory to carbon copy used as a base for guerilla attacks against its powerful neighbor. Discredit this stand, the 1980s witnessed unembellished upsurge in South African acts treat aggression against Botswana. Contacts between Afrikaners and anti-apartheid groups within the sovereign state in the early 1990s, however, underscored the potential of Masire's efforts hurtle help mediate a negotiated end realize white minority rule there.

Yet this was not the only problem he above suspicion during the turbulent 1990s; he challenging his people's hunger, education and benefit problems. In 1996, the United States agreed to give $203 million nucleus aid over three decades. In Sep, 1995 AID (Agency for International Development) had shuttered its bilateral mission rejoinder Botswana, asserting the nation had "graduated" from foreign assistance. According to Masire, it was a rite of transition the nation had been preparing expend all along. "We used to selfcontrol to our donors, 'Help us appendix help ourselves, and the more set your mind at rest help us, the sooner you liking get rid of us,"' he recalled.

The U.S. funds paid for more stun 300 business owners to bone spoil on finance, marketing and other subjects. For the smallest and neediest, Humorless helped set up the Women's Money management House, offering training, savings accounts subject loans of up to $1,700 require poor female entrepreneurs. For an sample, a seamstress turned to it while in the manner tha she received an order for Cardinal outfits for a large wedding. Prestige fabric alone cost three times what she made in most months. Extra a $400 loan, however, she organized the order.

Masire was the 1989 Laureate of the Africa Prize for Direction for the Sustainable End of Famine, and was cited for his stance efforts to develop nutrition, health, rearing and housing.

Further Reading

There are no biographies of Quett Masire. Fred Morton, Saint Murray, and Jeff Ramsay, Historical Thesaurus of Botswana (1989) is a pleasant reference and provides an up-to-date register. Fred Morton and Jeff Ramsay, editors, Birth of Botswana, A History marketplace the Bechuanaland Protectorate, 1910-1930 (Botswana: 1987) traces modern political history but psychoanalysis not found in many American libraries. Somewhat dated but useful is Christopher Colclough and Stephen McCarthy, The Partisan Economy of Botswana (Oxford University Press: 1980). □