Obituary of young man whose death has rocked Southern Africa

Gomolemo Thatayaone Motswaledi popularly known as Sir G or Bro G to his peers died in a controversial and yet to be explained car accident in Botswana this week.

Gomolelo was born on the 19th of June 1970 in Mahalapye 200 kms north of Gaborone. He was 44 years and 11 days at the time of his death on the 30th of July 2014.

Gomolelo grew up in Mahalapye and was bred in near by Serowe village. He did his primary education at Malapye before moving to Serowe at Swaneng Secondary School for his high school.

Like all Batswana young people, Gomolelo went for national service where he did his Tirelo Sechaba in Shakawe.

After high school, Gomolelo went to for his tertiary education at the University of Botswana (UB) where he studied for a Bachelor of Sciences in Sociology and History.

His political history and work resume in his 1st year at UB where he joined the Botswana Democratic Party (GS26) and was elected Treasurer before eventually being elected later as President of BDP Youth league.

After University, Gomolelo Joined the Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs as Cultural administrator based in Gaborone. He worked for the government for a lengthy period before eventually joining the University of Botswana as administrator till his a position he held until his demise.

In 2008 Sir G was elected as the Secretary General of the ruling BDP's Central Committee. In a shocking move in 2009 he took President Ian Khama to court over a constitutional matter which he unfortunately lost with costs. He was however greatly applauded by Batswana for his bravery in tacking the country's president to court which was a first in Botswana.

After the court case, President Ian Khama suspended him from the Party for 5 years and withdraw his candidature for Gaborone Central parliamentary seat in the 2009 elections.

In 2010 BDP leaders tried to lock him in a civil imprisonment case over some debts he was owing after losing employment in the government. In another shocker, the general public of Batswana saved him by coming together and organised funds and settled the debt for him much to the furore of President Khama and the BDP leaders.

In March 2010 a BDP faction known as Barata-Phati which was calling for a renewal of the BDP leadership and against Khama's style of leadership met in Mogoditshane and agreed to leave the party. In May 2010 the splinter group referred to as rebels in the BDP structures registered a new political party the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD). Motswaledi became the deputy interim-Chairman of BMD before he was eventually elevated to became interim Chairman of the BMD.

At its first general congress later in the year Gomolelo was elected to be the 1st President of BMD. As president of the BMD, he started a serious campaign against corruption in government and the ruling BDP party.

in 2012 three opposition political parties came together to form the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC). The coalition is an ongoing political effort of Botswana National Front (BNF), Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD) and the Botswana People's Party (BPP) to mount a strong challenge on the ruling BDP. Gomolelo became its 1st Secretary General in November 2012.

In 2014 July 20 six days before his death, the UDC in its debut congress in Serowe elected him coalition deputy president and presidential running mate.

30 July 2014, he died in a car accident.