Heroic Lekaukau laid to rest

In his 71 years of life and in particular, his longest stay in the public service, the late Cuthbert Moshe Tebogo Lekaukau may have rubbed many people the wrong way.

But the fact is, this country needs more people like him. Lekaukau counts among the many men and women who have served this country with great diligence and the history of this noble land will not be complete without a paragraph dedicated to him. While as a nation we are crying for having lost one of the country’s biggest role models. Equally, we celebrate the life lived well against all odds and thank God for having giving this republic one of the greatest icons and visionaries.

In the words of her daughter, Tsholofelo, her father was ‘the biggest role model as you have shown commitment to everything that you have been engaged in, you are a faithful Christian, a successful career man, a loving husband, caring father, a responsible citizen and a loyal friend”.

As much as he was a disciplinarian, Moshe was a friend to all and knew how to interact with all and give advice accordingly to the young, old, rich and the peasants.

What brought me closer to Lekaukau is the nature of my work- journalism. I started my career at a time when he was permanent secretary, and by God’s design, his wife Tshisimogo too was holding the same position in other ministry. This made it just to be impossible for the likes of myself to avoid being in contact with this family.

I often carried a camera to many of my social and work meetings. One day I went for routine weekly prayers at the King Christ Cathedral in the Main Mall carrying my camera as I had to take pictures of my friend’s daughter who was being baptised by Bishop Boniface Setlalekgosi.

Realising that I was carrying a camera on that day, Lekaukau asked me to take at least one good picture of his daughter Tsholo as she was being baptised by too. I obliged. I am sure Lekaukau must have treasured that picture as it took me at least five years to deliver it, but still it brought great happiness to him.
I realised Lekaukau’s love for his daughter and family that he is not the kind of man who gives up on his hope.

He would ask me every time we met when would I bring the picture of his daughter and my response was that I would once I find proper accommodation. By the Lord’s grace it happened and I managed to get Tsholo’s picture and delivered it to Lekaukau’s office. On that day he looked me in the face and said, “I never realised that you are such an honest man!” He then picked up the phone and informed MmaLekaukau about the good news. Since then we became closer.

The secret
At the time when I was attending church at King the Christ Cathedral, Lekaukau was the chairman of the church council. I and another friend, Jacob Sesinyi took a decision to go back to our parent’s church the United Congregation Church for Southern Africa (UCCSA).

When we left the Cathedral we chose not to announce it because it was obvious that Lekaukau was never going to understand our reasons for quitting. For a long time when we met he would ask me why he doesn’t see me at church and I would be economic with the truth and advance different reasons.

The secret came out into the open one day during the Sunday that the Ministers Fraternal had dedicated for ministerial exchange during which ministers are where ministers are assigned to preach at a different church.

Bishop Setlalekosi came to our church Trinity and he asked Reverend Master Basele if the two faces that he is seeing are Jacob Sesinyi’s, and mine. Basele replied in the affirmative.  Setlalekgosi said to him, “What makes me glad is that the two boys are not lost to God.” But still, even being given the green light, I could not inform Lekaukau.

My latest engagement with Lekaukau was his interest on my tribe Bakhurutshe of Tonota. He engaged me a lot on why we call ourselves Bakhurutshe and not Bahurutshe. Lekaukau being a nation builder died while he was still mobilising Ba –K-hutshe of Botswana, Namibia and South Africa to come together as well as writing a book about the tribe. Nothing was pleasing like seeing both Lekaukau’s requiem mass and funeral being conducted by Setlalekgosi.

 May his souls rest in peace.