“My father, my brother, my mentor, my everything”
The nation and the Dingake family recently bid farewell to renowned patriot, Michael Dingake. This is a tribute from his brother,
Today we are gathered here to bid farewell to a Legend. A Freedom fighter, whose mere name tormented and haunted all oppressive regimes. A baobab tree that gave us shade has fallen. My brother is no more! May he live forever! My last interaction (by way of a text message) with him was on the February 26, 2024, following his 96th birthday celebrations hosted by the ANC Veterans in Johannesburg. He wrote:
“Dear Junior,
Thanks for the birthday wishes. As usual yours is always the ultimate of the ultimate – the ultimate fraternal word! The birthday was superb. Otherwise, the day was sweet with Thembi and Tebogo in charge and Gosego, Khumo and Masego, daughter of Thato. It was a good party. Best of days to you Junior!!! Senior”
I couldn’t imagine that less than two months later he will be no more. His passing has left a gaping hole in my heart. Nothing will ever close it. A part of me is gone. ‘MK’ was my everything: my brother, father and mentor. I am a judge now because of ‘MK’.
When I was at secondary school, and he was locked up by the apartheid regime in Robben Island, I sought his advice on two matters concerning my career: (a) to advise on the qualifications I needed in order to be a Judge or President of Botswana; and (b) the salary package attached to each position.
He advised that it would be nice to be a Judge, but that I would need to work hard and obtain my LLB degree at the very least. He suggested that as for the Presidency, I already qualified as I am a Motswana and can read and write English. He didn’t remember the salary package of each but promised to find out.
I decided to study hard as advised to realise my dream of being a Judge. After I completed my senior secondary school, I was lucky to be employed at the Bank of Botswana. My then Director of Banking, Dr Muzila, Tebelelo Seretse’s sister, offered me a lucrative Bank of Botswana scholarship to go and study Accounting overseas. Significantly, that involved flying to faraway lands, in an aeroplane for the first time. I decided to dump Law there and then.
When I told ‘MK’ about my decision, he told me, sternly, to my face, that that would not happen, as I was going to do Law. Like my father, once he had taken a decision that was the end of the debate. So, as directed, I enrolled for my LLB at the University of Botswana. Well, as they say the rest is history!
I was about 22 years when my father answered the call of his ancestors. The balance of the years, I have lived under MK’s tutelage, as my father, my brother, my friend and my keeper. He has been there to shield me from danger and to console me when the enemy mistakes my work as his! Such is the nature of the brotherhood that developed between us. Throughout our lives we have been confused for each other and our names mixed. I remember on one or two occasions it was alleged that he was a Justice of the High Court of Botswana. This confusion persisted even after his passing!
Many years ago, annoyed by some development, he wrote something like: “they say the law is an ass – but judges may be worse”. I was crucified in some quarters and made to account for it, even though I was not privy to what he wrote.
Now, isolated and feeling brutalised and broken by life, in this far-flung place called Kokopo, Papua New Guinea (PNG), where I came to eke a living for my family, I feel an irritating emptiness in my stomach. The ‘MK’ I know wouldn’t want it that way. He would want me to accept what happened and move on with life.
My brother was a remarkable man. He lived a full and fulfilling life, lit by a vision of a just world. I will let you into the secret of his long life. Other than that he liked walking, the secret of his long life lies in our clan mythology. Here are the tidbits of the story: The head of the Sejie clan was known as a great and successful hunter among his neighbours. He was also a great trapper. He would trap all sorts of game: diphala, dikgaka le diphuduhudu. One day when he was checking his traps, he saw that one of his traps had caught some scary creature and he was startled, and he started running away. A voice came from the creature saying “don’t run away, if you untie me, Sejiye, you will grow old, until your back cracks because of age. Do not tell anyone about what you saw and if you do, you will collapse and die”!
Sejie was of old age when his back started cracking and they would cover it with cow-dung. It was painful and he was ready to go. He asked everyone to dig a grave for him and he revealed the story, collapsed, died and was buried then and there. Hence, this became the legend of the Sejiye clan. Sejiye had trapped Setotwane. This is the source of our longevity as a clan!