Botswana's former leader to host MbekiBy MTOKOZISI DUBE in Gaborone | Friday, May 11   2012 at  11:18

Former South Africa President Thabo Mbeki is set to dine with former Botswana head Sir Ketumile Masire Friday night.

Mr Mbeki will be the guest of honour at the Sir Ketumile Masire Foundation’s annual dinner scheduled for the Gaborone International Convention Centre tonight.

The SKMF dinner is expected to draw 500 guests as the organisation raises funds to finance its various projects.

Event organiser, Mrs Norah Mohwasa confirmed Mr Mbeki’s presence at the dinner, adding that the funds raised at the event “will be used to drive the objectives of the Sir Ketumile Masire Foundation.”

The foundation was founded in 2007 by Botswana’s second head of state, Sir Masire with the broader intention of promoting the socio-economic and political developments of the country and the region

Economic development

Mr Mbeki also has a similar project in South Africa, the Thabo Mbeki Foundation whose objective is largely to drive the wheels of the African Renaissance – to ensure the continent’s political, social and economic development.

Sir Masire’s foundation is presently taking care of children with congenital disabilities as well as to promoting innovation and alternatives in the agriculture sector.

The foundation’s other objective is to promote peace and good governance.

In 2007, the year Masire’s foundation was formed, Mr Mbeki received an award for Good Governance, presented to him by the Corporate Council on Africa based in the United States of America.

He was also awarded the Peace and Reconciliation Award at the Gandhi Awards for Reconciliation in 2003.

It is expected that Mr Mbeki might touch on some of these issues on peace and good governance promotion when he addresses his audience at the dinner.