Mme Nomtuse (Tuse) Mbere is one of those South African mothers who considered Botswana her home even after she moved back to South Africa after independence.
She was a special individual who lived a productive and purposeful life. She left bold footprints in various areas of development in Botswana such as rural development, which she delved in through her career in government and the Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV) where we worked together briefly.
One of her passions was in early childhood development and I recall her enthusiasm in the 90s while supporting Kuru Development Trust working with Irene Gaolatlhe Thupe to establish pre-schools in the remote settlements of Ghanzi District.
Still at SNV and working in consultation with the government, she was one of the pioneers who established the Community Based Natural Resources Management (CBNRM) pilot Programme, working with Dutch volunteers such as Ruud Jansen and Paul van Hoof.
One cannot miss the opportunity to talk about her gender activism and advocacy for the rights of girls and women. She was very active in debating gender and equality issues reinforcing the women global agenda as set in Beijing in 1995.
She enjoyed being in this space alongside several of her peers and sister-friends, bo Mme Mma Setshwaelo, Mma Molokomme and Mma Raseroka to name a few.
After returning to South Africa, she quickly established herself as an experienced and sought after consultant in the areas of Gender, Sexual Reproductive Rights and training of trainers.
She worked closely with one of her best friends Mme Lungie Molamu. Back in South Africa, they rekindled their professional collaboration that started in Botswana at the Ministry of Local Government and Lands.
In 2021 she published a book titled, “Write to Speak,” which addresses sexual and reproductive rights for women, as well as access to sex education for young women. The workaholic that she was, she never retired.
Mma Mbere loved people and made time for her friends who are scattered all over the world. She also had strong personal connections and relationships with her children’s friends.
During her regular trips to Botswana, she would issue a notice of who she was going to visit and at what time. She was punctual and a perfectionist who liked beautiful things without being flashy.
She was generous without expecting anything in return. She lived her life rooted in faith and strong values such as integrity. She would never compromise her personal or professional integrity for anything.
She was calm, but under that gentle exterior was a straight talking and no-nonsense woman who, however, did not hold grudges. Her aim was to help build the characters of those around her. She never learned Setswana and we will miss her ‘mix masala’ of English and Xhosa such as in “Entoni?!”
By the time she passed away last week on Tuesday, she was planning a trip to Swaziland with her children and their friends to celebrate the life of another awesome mother who passed away in 2021, Mme Dora Nxumalo - May her soul rest in peace - whose family has been close to the Masires and Mberes for decades.
Mbere was laid to rest in Johannesburg on Friday last week, 11th of August, and not surprisingly, a lot of people from Botswana came to pay their respects and to support her daughters, Nomsa, Nozipho and granddaughter, Lolo. May her beautiful soul rest in peace.
