Sir Ketumile Quett Masire, the former president of Botswana is dead. Masire, 91, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family in a hospital in the capital Gaborone.
“We thank well-wishers and friends from near and far, for their prayers, thoughts and comforting messages of support during this difficult time,” Fraser Tlhoiwe, who acted as Masire’s senior private secretary until the time of his death, said in a statement.
Masire’s family said he had been scheduled to undergo surgery on June 16. He remained in stable condition even though he had been taken into intensive care. Botswana’s government posted a statement on Facebook by Masire’s family which said he passed away on Thursday night.
He played a key role in spearheading Botswana’s economic growth and brokering a peace deal in Mozambique between the opposition party Renamo and the government.
