MAYOR FINDS HIS PEARL

When Gaborone Mayor Kagiso Thutlwe advertised his birthday party, ‘The Mayor’s Birthday Bash’ that was held last Saturday at My Kind of Place, Riverwalk, not many people knew what was on his mind. Perhaps, other than his famous Colgate smile as social media users call it, many were just looking for a night of dance and drinks with him. Those closest to him say he is generally bubbly and a great company.

But the mayor stunned people when he at some point went down on his knees proposing marriage to Botho Pearl Dipatane. In a video circulating on his Facebook page, he is heard asking the lucky woman whose life is about to change, “Please, I’m only asking you, will you marry me?” to the applause of the attendants, chanting YES! In an interview with The Midweek Sun, Thutlwe said that he had found his soul-mate.

He has always believed in having a family as he grew up in a nuclear family. He says he did the planning stage of the engagement without giving his fiancé a hint. He describes the soon-to-be Mrs Thutlwe as a God-fearing woman, his pillar of strength and a woman who believes in him and supports him. “She qualifies to be with me forever. As politicians, we need women who can run the race with us. We travel a lot hence we need women of prestige and honour. Women who will advise us,” he says.

However, he says that they have not yet set their wedding date as they have to engage their parents first. “I have to do things procedurally by paying lobola,” he says. For her part, Dipatane said that she was happy that Thutlwe proposed. She says that when they got back together this year May, the Mayor made his intentions clear that he wanted to make her his wife. “He was against engagement, saying he believes in a wedding,” she says. So when they went to the party venue last Saturday, she was just attending as a girlfriend with no expectations of a ring whatsoever.

But she says she had been unsettled when Thutlwe asked her to wear a silver watch and silver shoes that he bought for her. “At his party, he was restless throughout and I even took his phone as I wanted to ensure he enjoys his day,” she says. But again, she says she could not understand why the Mayor had no birthday cake and why he refused for her to buy it for him. “All along, he had been planning well,” she says.

So when the cake finally arrived and the Mayor was ushered to the podium to speak, he also took the chance to speak well of her and how she has impacted his life, and proposed. “My man is very romantic, has a good heart and he likes people. He’s a great man,” she says of him. Meanwhile, Thutlwe’s ex-girlfriend Kesego Maphakela who has a three year-old daughter with him says she wishes him all the best in both his personal and political life.

“He is a wonderful father to our daughter, and even though our relationship didn’t work, I know he is not a bad man,” she says, adding that she has also moved on with her life. Thutlwe also shared that they have a good mutual understanding regarding their daughter. “We respect each other. We have a beautiful princess together,” he says.