27 Feb 2019

Being a public servant is like being surrounded by a big family in which one members retirement hits almost as hard as their death. 

The impact is even more pronounced when the person who is retiring has been in the public domain. 

One such fellow is Mr Geoffrey Motlhanka Pheko, who retires from the public service today (February 28) . 

He is not yet gone, but his colleagues are already feeling the void. They have started imagining the days beyond February 28, days without him in the airwaves and in the Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food Security. 

Mention the name Geoffrey Pheko to the young and old, farmers and Batswana in general, they will tell you of a broadcaster of repute who had a unique way of pronouncing cattle brands. Ha had a unique way of elongating consonants that no one could claimed not to have heard such as G Rrrrrrr 5 for GR5 brand during the Matimela radio programme and this had earned him popularity among pastoralists, who would be listening attentively to hear where to find their stray cattle. 

He is a trained animal health and production officer and broadcast journalist, the combination of two professions that had instilled in him good public speaking. 

He is a good listener, observant, a perfectionist, witty, but pessimistic. In essence Mr Pheko is difficult to understand because his characters vary. 

He will tell you how strong he is, that he can break ones neck, legs, arms, back, you name them. But I know him to be someone who can hardly endure dangerous or unpleasant situations. Facing danger, whether perceived or real, is simply not Mr Pheko’s cup of tea. 

In simpler terms, o boi. He would not even hurt a fly. I remember one gentleman who used to send us from one corner of Gaborone to another, threatening to ‘deal with us’.

Pheko would tell how was going to break the gentleman’s neck, but alas! When he re-appears it is a different story, we are on the run. 

If he continues telling you how strong he is, just tell him how you are conversant with issues of witchcraft. 

He will not talk to you the rest of your life. O bo tshaba lebaibai!

His immediate supervisor, Ms Boikhutso Rabasha says Mr Pheko is one person who loves attention ‘and o itse go tshosetsa if you don’t know him.” 

She says Mr Pheko over the years had yearned to reach this old age and would class his male counterparts as ‘bashianyana’. 

Ms Rabasha also says he is jealous, protective and would not allow people to come close to someone he has found friendship in. 

According to Ms Rabasha, Mr Pheko would look immaculate from Monday to Monday, a proud Mokgatla who would like to be referred to as such. 

He would not be court wearing anything less of a suit at work. 

“One of the many incidences reflecting his true Mokgatla character was when we were on a trip to Chobe, Satau to be specific. We arrived in the afternoon, went to the cooperative shop to introduce ourselves and bought some necessities for us to settle. We found these people playing mhele, Geoff challenged this old man and they engaged as they were playing. He scored and said ke tlile go go bitola monnamogolonyana ke wena! He held his hand up and shouted hintu! And the old man’s response was o shule pelo Mokhatanyana ke wena, ko go lona lo roga bagolo? Meanwhile, we were all flat with laughter. That’s Geoff for you,” so says Ms Rabasha’s. 

That aside, Mr Pheko is such here and now gentleman who would not like to leave any job unfinished. 

Ms Rabasha concurs that Mr Pheko is a hard worker who hates failure. 

He indeed lived up to his middle name, Motlhanka (servant). As such he would never rest until an assignment is finished. 

“I was always assured of impressive results. Some of his assignments were to represent MoA at Independence Day preparations, Bot50, E-gov to mention but a few.”  Ms Rabasha testifies.

One of his work mates, Mr Moreri Moesi says this of Mr Pheko;

 “The Pheko I know is dedicated to his work. He always gives it his all. This is paragon of knowledge for Botswana’s agricultural sector. If one wanted to know anything that previously happened in the sector, especially the livestock sector, he would retrieve the information from ‘the physical hard drive that his brain is’.” 

“It is this vast knowledge that I always yearned for in the public service. 

If his head had a port, I would  definitely transfer the knowledge to my external drive for future use. 

On the lighter side of things, Mr Pheko consistently told me that for him, retirement before reaching the age of sixty would amount to a breach of employment contract. 

Mr Pheko, as you say bye bye to the public service, please remember to use the experience to help this country become food secure.” 

When he was assigned to do public relation work during the outbreak of Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia (CBPP), Mr Pheko would traverse the difficult terrains of Ngamiland to ensure that farmers were informed about the latest interventions. 

That was one of the horrifying assignments in many of his engagements, seeing so many cattle being destroyed. 

“Being part of the team that was assigned to eradicate CBPP and FMD in Ngamiland and Zone VI, where more than half a million cattle were killed, was one of the bad memories I will never forget, it was a nightmare, but the assignment had to be done,” reminisces Pheko. 

Having worked for the ministry of agriculture for 38 years plus, Mr Pheko has seen it all, he has worked under several permanent secretaries, deputy permanent secretaries, directors, you name them. 

Asked about what he could say are his achievements, Mr Pheko is quick to say from the top his head, his contribution to the bigger picture of the ministry’s achievement. 

He mentions eradication of CBPP in Ngamiland and restocking of the whole area, eradication of FMD in Zone VI, and restocking of the whole area, being part of the team that built the containment zone in Zone VI (Francistown), acquiring of the present National Agricultural Show Grounds and being a secretariat for the national show, being a member of a team that developed MoA communication strategy, establishment of Agricultural Television Programme, Tsa temo Thuo, pioneering Radio Botswana’s Matimela programme, eradication of locust and controlling of veld fires, the list is endless. 

“I am proud because nowadays farmers in general understand different farming techniques such as row planting, the use of pesticides, stumping, dipping, dehorning and castration. This was through media influence, which I was part of,” he says. 

He says; “It was always fun to interview old and young farmers, sharing their experience at the remote areas whilst I was also learning.” 

Some of his fond memories in the public service; Mr Pheko will never forget assigned to cover the Royal Agricultural Show in London, United Kingdom and coordinating the ministry’s Bot50 float. Mr Pheko’s advice is that the rise of social media and its attraction to the youth could be used to leverage agricultural programmes and improve the image of the sector. 

His advice to government is to continue to empower young people and facilitate their access to land and credit. 

The veteran broadcaster, who says he is going to miss the farming community, has a word of encouragement to them; “Make agriculture more profitable.” 

He is however quick to say; “This is an easy statement to make, but difficult to realise. Making agriculture profitable requires that the costs of farming and doing business are reduced while at the same time productivity increases.” 

Mr Pheko says agriculture in Botswana is divided into three main types being arable, pastoral and mixed farming, and therefore it is for the farmer to do what they  love most. Born in Mochudi in 1959, Mr Pheko joined the public service in 1981. 

After completing his two-year Certificate in Animal Health and Production in the then Botswana Agricultural College in 1980, he was posted to the then Department of Animal Health and Production under the National Diagnostic Laboratory as Veterinary Assistant responsible for Henthelmenthology and Bacteriology in Gaborone. 

He has never worked anywhere else except being seconded to Maun during the outbreak of CBPP for 10 years and Francistown during the outbreak of FMD for one and half years. Beside that, Mr Pheko traversed the whole of Botswana conducting radio and TV interviews, holding kgotla meetings and accompanying the executives. 

Apart from training in animal health and production, Mr Pheko trained as a broadcast journalist at Loyalist College of Applied Arts and Technology in Ontario, Canada. 

Comparing the public service of today to when he joined the civil service, Mr Pheko says today’s public service is well resourced in terms of skill, technology, transportation welfare and office accommodation. 

That said about Mr Pheko, he has run his race, the time has finally come to give the baton to those who still have fresh legs to run. 

Enjoy your retirement ngwana wa ga Makinita le Lentwa, you have done your part. Ends