RENAME BOTSWANA

At this point, the Constitutional Review Committee will be working on its final report and one of the proposals that it is considering is whether “Botswana” should be replaced with a new name that doesn’t favour any particular culture. Oddly, practically all the people that have made this proposal didn’t themselves propose a suitable neutral name. We have one and don’t expect anyone to object to it. The name is “Last Minute” and describes how business is done across Botswana. More than 56 percent of road accidents that happen across the country are a result of motorists rushing to an appointment at literally the last minute. Most tailor shops across the country close down on Saturday around three in the morning as tailors put final touches to bridal attires whose orders were made six months ago. Nowadays, some enterprising businesspeople offer round- the- clock secretarial services to cater to those who choose to finalise the paperwork for government tenders at the very last minute. University students typically write assignments they were given weeks to do a day before the deadline.

Generally, the last- minute ethos defines the Botswana work ethic in many more realms. Admittedly, some people won’t like the Last Minute name and would want to protest against its adoption. Thankfully though, they would meet to discuss and craft their protest at the very last minute and likely miss the deadline.