30th June 2026
Own Correspondent
Mable Bolele who is best remembered amongst colleagues in the media for her feat as the 2024 Africa Public Sector Award winner for Woman of the Year in Communications and promoting the profile of Botswana Unified Revenue Service(BURS) retired with little fanfare end of June.
Bolele who is recognized for her expertise in developing and executing strategic communication plans achieved considerable success working to raise the profile of the revenue collector and encouraging reluctant small business owners to pay their taxes. She however shows no signs of wanting to slow down.
“Retirement has opened a new chapter in my life,” revealed Bolele in an exclusive interview with The Tswana Times.
She stressed, “I have keen interest in farming, particularly agro-tourism. At the same time, my door will forever be open to public relations and communications consultancies, mentoring young professionals, and offering support to organisations with strategic communications, governance, and leadership development.”
Bolele revealed that retirement, is not about slowing down, it’s about redirecting her experience into new opportunities that create or add value. She also reflected with pride on significant milestones whilst working at the revenue collector.
“What I enjoyed most was serving the people of Botswana by helping build trust between BURS and taxpayers. Communications is about more than sharing information; it is about building understanding and confidence,” said Bolele.
She observed, “Some of the milestones I am proud of include building BURS’ corporate image from scratch, leading communication strategies and most of all introducing the edutainment component (roping in the entertainers and comedians), managing media relations and public education campaigns, introducing stakeholder engagement initiatives.”
“Every successful campaign that improved voluntary tax compliance and strengthened public confidence during my stay in BURS was rewarding,” added Bolele. She acknowledged that the job was however not without its challenges.
“The greatest challenge was balancing the public’s demand for immediate information with the organisation’s responsibility to ensure that information was accurate, lawful, and in the public interest. Managing communication during crises was also demanding, but those situations reinforced the importance of preparation, teamwork, transparency, and integrity,” said Bolele.
During a career spanning over 25 years as a Public Relations and Communications Expert with the Ministry of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism, the United Nations (UNICEF, WHO), SADC Climate Services Centre, BCL Mine, ACHAP, BOTEC and finally BURS she learned some valuable lifelong lessons she will always cherish.
“One important lesson I have learned over the years is that leadership is not a popularity contest. You do your work not to be loved or to seek approval, but to serve with honesty, professionalism and integrity. If you lead with fairness, consistency and accountability, respect will naturally follow. Respect is earned through your actions and character, it is never something you demand because of your title or position,” said Bolele.
She says she also learned that: Integrity is your greatest asset and should never be compromised, no matter what.
- “Respect and kindness, especially to your superiors, leave a lasting impact long after titles and positions are gone.
- You should invest in developing people because your legacy is measured by those you empower,” revealed Bolele.
Throughout her career, she was blessed to have learned from many remarkable people, like her immediate supervisors especially in the UN and SADC, and feels a responsibility to pass that knowledge on.
Bolele said, “In retirement, I remain open to mentoring, coaching and sharing my experience with the next generation of communications professionals and leaders. If I can help others grow, succeed and become even better than I was, then I will consider that one of my greatest achievements.”
She said, “As I leave public service, I do so with gratitude. I have always believed that our legacy is not measured by the positions we held, but by the lives we touched, the institutions we strengthened, and the values we upheld. My hope is that I will be remembered not because I sought recognition, but because I served with integrity, humility and commitment to Botswana.”
