Gaborone – Former Botswana President Festus Gontebanye Mogae has been buried at Phomolong Cemetery in Gaborone, with the Botswana Defence Force conducting a state burial with full military honours.
The funeral cortege made its way from the UB Indoor Sports Centre, led by the BDF, before the ceremony got under way at the cemetery. The send-off included a 21-gun salute, a three-volley salute, and the sounding of the Last Post, a tribute that signals a final farewell and symbolises that President Mogae’s duty has ended and that he may now rest in eternal peace.
The Reveille followed, a traditional call to rouse the living, serving as an encouragement to the BDF to continue serving the nation with diligence and honour.
In one of the most solemn moments of the ceremony, the Commander handed a neatly folded Botswana flag, which had been draped over the coffin, to President Mogae’s widow, Barbara Mogae, as a gesture of the nation’s gratitude.
At the close of the funeral service, Minister for State President, Defence and Security Moeti Mohwasa extended thanks to the people of Botswana, the nation’s leadership, the peoples of the SADC region and the wider African continent, Serowe traditional leaders, Batalaote, and the Mogae family. He acknowledged their collective role in ensuring a dignified send-off for a leader who served his country with humility and vision.
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