Benjamin C. Thema (born 1912, died 1982)
was a
Motswana educationist and politician.
Thema was born in
Ranaka, Bangwaketse Reserve. He became the first president of Bechuanaland Student Association in 1939. In 1946 he founded the Tshidi Barolong secondary school in
Mafikeng
Mafikeng, officially known as Mahikeng and previously Mafeking (, ), is the capital city of the North West province of South Africa.
Close to South Africa's border with Botswana, Mafikeng is northeast of Cape Town and west of Johannesburg. In ...
, and in 1955 became its principal.
He joined the
Bechuanaland Democratic Party
The Botswana Democratic Party (abbr. BDP) is the governing party in Botswana. Its chairman is the Vice-President of Botswana, Slumber Tsogwane, and its symbol is a lift jack. The party has ruled Botswana continuously since gaining independence ...
in 1964, and was elected to the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...
in the elections of 1965. Then he joined the cabinet, first as
Minister of Finance
A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation.
A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...
1965-1966,
and from 1966 to 1974 as
Minister of Education.
References
1912 births
1982 deaths
Botswana educators
Finance ministers of Botswana
Education ministers of Botswana
Botswana Democratic Party politicians
Members of the National Assembly (Botswana)
{{Botswana-bio-stub