‘Face to face with the man who tried to kill me’

Bakganedi, mother of two, and the man accused of assaulting her, Tebo Molebeledi, had lived together for 11 years and have one child between them, an eight-year-old girl, who now lives in fear. She is currently without both of her parents, as one is in prison, whilst the other is in Gaborone, in and out of the hospital. In the courtroom, with its stiff silence and formal language, Bakganedi says she was not ready to face him, but she had no choice.

She had been called to testify, to explain why he should not be granted bail. Whilst we join Botswana Sectors of Educators Trade Union (BOSETU) and other stakeholders in commending the rise in top grades, a testament to the unwavering effort of many teachers and pupils, this progress is fundamentally shadowed by a failing that shames our society. The stark, persistent urban-rural divide is not just a statistic, but an active betrayal of thousands of young Batswana.The figures are a damning indictment. When pass rates in…