02 Oct 2024

As Batswana gathered in various dikgotla across the country for the Independence Day celebrations on September 30, Miss Botswana 50^th Anniversary Independence, Jabu Radipitse used the moment to reflect on her journey as Botswana’s age mate and beauty queen.

For Radipitse and her age mates, commonly known as Balekane ba Botswana, who are just two years shy of 60 years, the 58 years of independence are not only a national celebration, but also resonate with their personal journeys in life.

To her, the journey that started in 2014 when she was crowned Miss Jwaneng Independence, paved way for her dream to be the voice of marginalised groups.

However, it wasn’t  until she went on to grab the national title during the BOT50 celebrations in 2016 that she realised what a mammoth task lay ahead.

With the support of Balekane ba Botswana and her male counterpart, Masego Motlhabane, she hit the ground running and successfully built a house for a disadvantaged age mate in Sese near Jwaneng.

Her projects include donating sanitary pads to secondary schools in Jwaneng.

A tribal administrator by profession, Radipitse’s influence and impact as the queen continued during the COVID-19 era, despite her transfer to Tonota District and later Moshupa.

“I was in Tonota between 2018 and 2020, and when COVID-19 hit, I mobilised Balekane ba Botswana and we raised funds to contribute towards cushioning fellow Batswana against the adverse effects of the pandemic,” she said in an interview.

Nonetheless, she indicated that her return to Jwaneng early this year had motivated her to remobilise and expand the mandate to advocate for widows’ rights.

She said her new endeavour was influenced by the personal experiences. “My dream is to advocate for the rights of widows and I’m planning on using the next two years to mobilise Balekane ba Botswana to work on this project.

This idea is influenced by how I have seen women, including those in my family, being denied their rights after they lose their husbands,” she explained.

The new project, she says, will take a holistic approach, which includes moral, social and legal support for the widows as they manoeuvre the difficult and draining journey.

She also acknowledges that denying women such rights also had adverse effects on their children.

Radipitse said she had already met with some widows of various ages in Tonota and intended to engage those around Jwaneng and its peripheries as part of the consultations and brainstorming.

Her ultimate goal is to have a fully-fledged association by the time she retires from public service. ENDS