Mompati Sebogodi Merafhe (6 June 1936 – 7 January 2015) was a

Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label=Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalahar ...

politician who was

Vice-President of Botswana The vice-president of Botswana is the second-highest executive official in the Government of Botswana. The vice-president is appointed by the president of Botswana among elected members of the National Assembly. The vice-president is the constit ...

from 2008 to 2012. He was a retired

Lieutenant-General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

and served as

Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...

from 1994 to 2008.

Biography

Merafhe was born on 6 June in

Serowe Serowe (population approximately 60,000) is an urban village in Botswana's Central District. A trade and commercial centre, it is Botswana's third largest village. Serowe has played an important role in Botswana's history, as capital for the Bama ...

in 1936.Merafhe, M. S. (2015). ''The General: In the Service of My Country: the Autobiography of Mompati Sebogodi Merafhe''. Diamond Educational Publishers. After receiving his secondary education at Moeng College, Merafhe joined the then Bechuanaland Protectorate Police Force in 1960 and gradually rose through the ranks. In 1971 he became the commander of the Police Mobile Unit, becoming the first citizen to occupy such a position. When Botswana formed the

Botswana Defense Force The Botswana Defence Force (BDF, tn, Sesole Sa Botswana) is the military of Botswana. The main component of the BDF is the Botswana Ground Force; there is also an air wing and a riverine patrol contingent attached to the ground forces, with 10 ...

(BDF) in 1977, Merafhe was selected by President Sir

Seretse Khama Sir Seretse Goitsebeng Maphiri Khama, GCB, KBE (1 July 1921 – 13 July 1980) was a Motswana politician who served as the first President of Botswana, a post he held from 1966 to his death in 1980. Born into an influential royal fam ...

as its first commander at the rank of Major-General. He was elevated to Lieutenant-General in 1986. Merafhe was a widely-respected commander of the BDF, working closely with his second-in-command

Ian Khama Seretse Khama Ian Khama (born 27 February 1953) is a Botswana politician and former military officer who was the fourth President of the Republic of Botswana from 1 April 2008 to 1 April 2018. After serving as Commander of the Botswana Defence ...

to develop its ability to police the borders, deter poaching of the country's wildlife resources, and to establish an air arm. Due to his success in building up the nascent BDF into an effective and well-respected force, President

Quett Masire 'Ketumile Quett Joni Masire'', GCMG (24 July 1926 – 22 June 2017) was the second and longest-serving President of Botswana, in office from 1980 to 1998. He was honored with the Knighthood of the Grand Cross of Saint Michael and Saint Ge ...

decided to entice him into politics in 1989. Masire viewed Merafhe as a potential successor, but the former general's continued involvement in factional party infighting meant that he was bypassed for the vice presidency in 1992. Between 1995 and 2002, Merafhe served as a member of the Inter-Parliamentary Human Rights Network and the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG). He was first elected to the Central Committee of the

Botswana 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 independenc ...

(BDP) in 1991 and remained on the body until ill-health forced his retirement in 2012. After being specially elected in 1989, Merafhe became the Member of Parliament for

Mahalapye Mahalapye is a town located in the Central District of Botswana. The town has about 41,000 inhabitants and is situated along the main road between the capital Gaborone and the second largest city Francistown. Mahalapye has a bus station, a rail ...

West in the 1994 election. He was elected for a third time in the October 2004 general election, receiving 5,429 votes against 1,664 for Abigail Mogalakwe of the Botswana National Front (BNF) and 975 for Thomas Ookeditse of the

Botswana Congress Party The Botswana Congress Party (BCP) is a political party in Botswana. The BCP was founded in 1998 in a split from the Botswana National Front, with most of the BNF's sitting Members of Parliament joining the new party after a leadership dispute w ...

(BCP)."Merafhe thanks Mahalapye electorate"
, BOPA, 10 November 2004. Besides serving as Foreign Minister, he also served a period as Minister of Presidential Affairs and Public Administration. When

took office as President on 1 April 2008, he appointed Merafhe as Vice-President. Merafhe was approved as Vice-President by Parliament on the same day, receiving 48 out of 56 votes, with no votes against, two spoiled votes, and six abstentions; he was immediately sworn in. The same day, Khama explained to the BDP caucus that he did not intend for Merafhe to ultimately succeed him as President; he envisioned eventually replacing Merafhe with another Vice-President who would in turn succeed Khama in 2018.Gideon Nkala
"VP Merafhe will not be President"
, ''Mmegi Online'', 2 April 2008. Merafhe was not given a ministerial portfolio as Vice-President, although it was suggested that he might be tasked with project implementation across ministries. Merafhe was married and had five children. Following the second round of the Zimbabwean presidential election in June 2008, Merafhe said that the election was flawed and that Zimbabwe should be barred from participation in regional talks. On 22 July 2009, he was appointed to the BDP Central Committee by President Khama; he was one of five individuals appointed to that body by Khama. Merafhe retired on 31 July 2012 and

Ponatshego Kedikilwe Ponatshego Honorius Kefaeng Kedikilwe (born 7 July 1938) is a Motswana politician who was Vice-President of Botswana from 2012 to 2014. A member of the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), he has also served as Minister of Minerals, Energy, ...

was sworn in to succeed him as Vice-President on 1 August. He died on the morning of 7 January 2015 at the age of 78 after years of health complications."General Merafhe passes on"
Botswana Daily News Online, 7 January 2015.

Gallery

Mr Sebogodi Mompati Merafhe, Major general of the national defence forc (Source Kutlwano 1977).jpg, Former Major General of the

Botswana Defence Force The Botswana Defence Force (BDF, tn, Sesole Sa Botswana) is the military of Botswana. The main component of the BDF is the Botswana Ground Force; there is also an air wing and a riverine patrol contingent attached to the ground forces, with 10 ...

Awards and honours

Botswana highest honour dubbed Naledi ya Botswana in 2011.Ryder Gabathuse

''The Voice Online'', 7 October 2017.

References

External links

*https://www.un.org/webcast/ga/61/pdfs/botswana-e.pdf {{DEFAULTSORT:Merafhe, Mompati 1936 births 2015 deaths Vice-presidents of Botswana Foreign Ministers of Botswana Botswana generals Members of the National Assembly (Botswana) People from Serowe Botswana diplomats Government ministers of Botswana Botswana Democratic Party politicians