Margaret Nasha
| Margaret Nasha | |
|---|---|
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Speaker of the National Assembly of Botswana |
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In office October 2009 – October 2014 |
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| Preceded by | Patrick Balopi |
| Succeeded by | Gladys Kokorwe |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
6 August 1947 Kanye, Bechuanaland |
| Political party |
BDP (to 2016) BMD (from 2016) |
Margaret Nnananyana Nasha (born 6 August 1947) is a Botswana politician who served as the Speaker of the National Assembly from 2009 to 2014. She was the first woman to hold the position.
Nasha worked as a journalist and civil servant before entering politics, and also served a term as Botswana's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. She entered the National Assembly at the 1994 general election, and subsequently served as a minister in the governments of Quett Masire and Festus Mogae. A representative of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), Nasha was elected to the speakership after the 2009 election. After a falling out with President Ian Khama, she lost the BDP speakership nomination to Gladys Kokorwe in 2014, and in 2016 defected to the opposition Botswana Movement for Democracy.
Nasha was born in Kanye, the traditional capital of the Ngwaketse people. Her official date of birth is 6 August 1947, but she has expressed doubts as to its accuracy. One of ten siblings, Nasha spent her early childhood in Johannesburg, South Africa, living with an older sister. She returned to Botswana to attend primary school in the village of Mmathethe. In her autobiography, Nasha recalled that girls at the time were only taught to read and write in order to be able to correspond with their future husbands, who it was presumed would have to migrate to South Africa to earn a living.
Because Nasha's father had died at an early age, her mother turned to her male relatives to help finance her daughter's schooling. They reluctantly sold some of their cattle to allow her to finish her secondary education. After leaving school, Nasha moved to Gaborone (Botswana's capital) to take classes at the University of Botswana. She also found a job in the studios of Radio Botswana, and was later promoted to the newsroom. Nasha worked as a political reporter for a number of years, but eventually left journalism to join the civil service. She held senior positions in the departments of information and foreign affairs, and also served a term as Botswana's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.
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