President Masire's grandson, Eno, speaks politics, patriotism and relationship with Ndaba Gaolathe

When he took to the podium and spoke at the funeral of his grandfather, former president Sir Ketumile Masire, Eno Mwaba undoubtedly caused most people to sit up and listen. Poised and articulate in the Queen’s language, he belied confidence and proved to be quite the storyteller; he held the spellbound attentive audience captive as he regaled them with anecdotes about his relationship with Masire. A few hours later, he was “trending” on social media. Here was this cute young guy who is #bae goals – confident, handsome, well-read, well-travelled and educated.

The Eno tagging and swooning went on for a few days thereafter. Nearly six months after the funeral, this reporter finally caught up with him after a bit of a chase. First things first: What does ‘Eno’ mean, I ask. He says that he was told that it means ‘listen.’ Strangely, he insists that whatever it means, that it is a Setswana name. During his speech at Masire’s funeral, Mwamba, who is still based overseas, insinuated that he would like to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather as well as his mother, Mmasekgoa Masire-Mwaba and be active in leadership. His response is well-calculated and intelligent. “Botswana politics is something I have grown up with all my life. Dinner table conversations were always dominated by current political affairs.

I believe there is simply no denying that politics is in my blood, so I shall definitely be active. It’s every citizen’s responsibility to be politically engaged, and ensure they hold their leaders accountable for their actions,” he says. He waxes philosophically when asked whether he would follow in the footsteps of his grandfather. “Sir Ketumile Masire was a gentleman, a statesman, a God-fearing man and a humble man. His virtues and values helped build the infrastructure, and environment conducive for economic prosperity, hence Botswana was the fastest growing economy in the 1980’s during his presidency. “What a legacy, and one I certainly do look up to for inspiration. His memory and legacy is what motivates me to work so hard!

I am extremely proud of him, so I will ensure that my life is one that does his legacy justice, and permits other people to feel similar pride in me,” he says. Mwamba points out that he is a keen networker who has engaged most of our local politicians and other top brass. In fact, he says Alliance for Progressives leader Ndaba Gaolathe is his mentor and a family friend. “We are close. I respect him, and love engaging with him.” Mwamba is patriotic and says Botswana has potential to grow, provided we keep on par with global changes.

“Economies of the past are being rendered redundant through various technological advances; just look at what the digital camera did to Kodak? “Therefore if Botswana is to compete, we need to ensure our people are technologically engaged. We are landlocked, so our manufacturing and exporting industries will always have a subtle dependency upon our international relations. Technology is the future, and such advantages in this space, is where we will advance into excellence.” Mwamba says that he is a proud Motswana and the one thing he appreciates about Batswana is that they are loving people. He comes from an interesting lineage of leadership (Sir Ketumile Masire) and what important lessons has he learnt from him? He responds: “My grandfather once said to me, that the definition of prime minister draws its origin from the Latin phrase primus inter pares, which basically means first among equals. He went on to explain how the term minister in the biblical sense, basically equates to servant.

“Therefore one should see prime minister, as the first servant, as all leaders are servants to their people. This was the first lesson, over what it means to lead. You are there to serve and not be served.” Mwamba visits Botswana regularly but is currently growing professionally working in the biggest financial centre in the world. “But my wealth and investments are in Botswana.” While he currently works in London, he intends to further his studies in America, and travel more. “We live in an increasingly globalised world, and international exposure particularly at the highest levels, is something I feel leaders of the future will need to meaningfully engage with this interconnected global village we live in today.” Mwamba is cagey and doesn’t want to divulge much on whether he is rooting for any political position and prefers to keep everyone guessing.