*Molepolole bids farewell to 122-year-old Mmantsho Keitseng
*Few have witnessed a century, few inspired five generations, she did both
Scores of Molepolole residents thronged Lekgwapheng ward last Sunday to celebrate an extraordinary life and bid a heartfelt farewell to one of Botswana’s oldest known citizens, 122-year-old Mmantsho Keitseng.
As family, friends and relatives gathered to pay their last respects, the skies above seemed to understand the weight of the moment as the winter rain fell like gentle tears from heaven; a peaceful benediction that many saw as a final blessing from a life well lived.
Born on January 1, 1904, in Letlhakeng’s Moiphisi Ward, Keitseng was a living bridge across centuries, witnessing the colonial rule, the First and Second World Wars, Botswana’s independence, and the dawn of the digital age before her peaceful rest on June 15, 2026.
As her gentle soul marched on to heaven, Keitseng left behind not just a family, but a legacy carved in resilience, laughter, and quiet dignity.
For Keitseng’s children, the grief is profound, yet gratitude lingers deeper. She leaves a remarkable family legacy having raised her children, raised their children and witnessed generations unfold beneath her watchful eyes.
Her firs-born Odirile Rahele, born in 1939, predeceased her in 2002, but left her with three surviving pillars: daughter Sennye Rahele, 85, son Moagiemang Rahele, 81, and the youngest, Makgopho Rahele 72.
Beyond her children she leaves behind a forest of descendents, 25 grandchildren, 145, great-grandchildren, and 75 great-great-grandchildren.
A farmer at heart, Keitseng spent most of her days at Rammala lands where the soil and seasons kept her company. As if the village itself had called her home to receive her final farewell, Keitseng only moved to Molepolole three days before her last breath.
When The Voice visited the family home, relatives reflected on the final months of a woman whose laughter remained as vibrant as ever despite her advancing years. They recalled a spirit that refused to be extinguished.
In a recently recorded family video, captured by her granddaughter, 46-year-old Marea Ramaretela, Keitsing is seen laughing out heartily, a defiant joyful laughter that seemed to mock old age itself. The laughter of a woman who has outlived everyone’s expectations and still finding reasons to smile.
Makgopho who tenderly nursed the old woman until her last breath, believes her mother’s extraordinary longevity was rooted in a simple lifestyle.
“Surprisingly my mother was not the type of person who easily got sick. She did not even have any medical card or record of ill-health,” said Makgopho adding that her simple diet of rice and bananas sustained her through the decades.
In her final weeks, however time had taken its toll. Her vision had dimmed, her hearing faded, and her voice grew fragile.
“I also realised that she was struggling to talk. She wasn’t crawling like before, she needed my support to lift her up,” she said.
In her final conversations, Keitseng never lost her wonder.
She often expressed amazement at the number of medications her children consumed, recalling her own youth when hospitals were foreign and healing came from the land.
She spoke fondly of a wonder traditional tuber known as kgengwe that nourished her generation in ways modern medicine could not.
The morning of Keitseng’s passing was deceptively ordinary. Just after Makgopho assisted her mother drink tea, she stepped outside to sip her own with her niece, 65-year-old Banyana Basimane.
Minutes later Makgopho requested Basimane to check on the old woman and see if she was still bundled against the winter chill. What they discovered shattered the quiet morning.
“I realised she was not in a good state and called my aunt,” Basimane recalled, her voice heavy with sorrow.
“We tried to check her temperature, placing our hands on her and we suspected she was no more. I called my uncle and upon arrival he told us that my grandmother is late. We took her to the hospital where she was certified dead,” added Basimane.
But just like love, memory endures and Keitseng will be remembered for her infectious laughter and sense of humour.
Among the many funny stories she shared with her children, they recalled, was how- together with other women, they hid their husbands in granaries and covering them with sorghum to spare them from conscription during World War II.
A talented singer and passionate lover of traditional choir music of dikhwaere, Keitseng’s voice used to serenade masses at Kgosing ward where her late husband Rahele Mosweu, who died in 1988, hailed from.
She was a traditional Motswana woman whose hands were never idle. Known for her love for beauty, Keitseng’s yard was a masterpiece, immaculately decorated with lekgapho, the art of mixing soil with cow dung, to create surfaces of breathtaking beauty. It was a skill she passed down to her children, ensuring the tradition continues for generations to come.
Keitseng’s cheerful laughter may have fallen silent, but its echo will ripple through the lives she shaped for many years. May her soul rest in eternal peace!
