Background
Phillip Parcel Goanwe MATANTE was born in 1921 at Serowe, 150 miles north of Gaborone. His origins, upbringing and education are kept vague.
Phillip Parcel Goanwe MATANTE was born in 1921 at Serowe, 150 miles north of Gaborone. His origins, upbringing and education are kept vague.
In eight years’ army service between 1939 and 1947 he rose to become a sergeant-major in the Army Corps formed in the three British High Commission Territories. After his demobilisation in South Africa in 1947 nothing was recorded about him for 10 years—and he disclosed nothing afterwards. On his return to Botswana in 1957 he took a variety of jobs—fighting foot-and-mouth disease, working on a Commonwealth Development Corporation project, and acting as manager of a general store at Francistown for two years. He began full-time politics as a founder member of the People’s Party in December 1960 and was elected vice-president. In 1964 he ousted party leader Kgalemang Motscte and took over as president of the party.
As a faithful follower of Kwame Nkrumah's philosophy, he swung the party into a vigorous Pan-Africanist programme. His skill as an orator gave him a substantial victory in the March 1965 elections in Francistown and Tati East. In the general elections of October 1969 he confirmed his authority, despite the even more extremist appeal of the Independence Party established by Mpho after the split inside the Botswana People’s Party. Still a political force, not easily dismissed. As MP for Francistown, Matante led the opposition until his death in 1979. He was the first MP call for the formation of the defense force.
A former army sergeant-major, at ease on any platform, he has a great reputation for rousing political passion. Although vehemently denying Communist Party affiliation, Matante does not disguise his extreme left-wing approach to politics. His strength as an opposition leader was sapped by the split with M. K. Mpho but he retains a solid power base in Francistown.
Matante briefly showed interest in the Federal Party but found it too conservative and ineffectual.