Duma Boko
Chairperson
Boko, Motlhala, Rabashwa and Ketshabile

The Chairperson of the BONELA board, Duma Boko was initially a lecturer of law at the University of Botswana (UB) during 1993 - 2003. Boko has a notable background in human rights having taught a course on the subject during his tenure at the UB. When he ventured into private practice he set up a law firm that is to this day well-known for defending human rights and of which he was a founding and now managing partner - Boko, Motlhala, Rabashwa and Ketshabile.

Boko, who is also the President of the Law Society of Botswana, takes over from Martin Mosima as the Chairperson of the board. Mosima continues to serve the board as an additional member. Why serve on the BONELA board? “To make my modest contribution to the cause of human rights, especially HIV/AIDS related issues,” says Boko.

Polokoetsile Pedro Motau
Treasurer
University of Botswana, Department of Finance and Accounting

A Lecturer at the University of Botswana Department of Accounting and Finance, Pedro Motau holds an M.Sc (Computerised Accounting) from the University of East Anglia (UK) and a certificate from the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. He has been an independent financial consultant since 2001.

Pedro Motau has been involved in other community-oriented organisations that seek to promote the welfare of society.

“The gargantuan task that the nation of Botswana faces in eradicating and decimating adverse attitudes towards HIV-positive persons is one calling that I shall articulate with my full might and energy, hence the linkage with BONELA,” he says.

Johannah Tlhomelang
Secretary
Princess Marina Hospital

Johannah Tlhomelang has worked as a nurse in Botswana’s public health care system since 1988 with experience in various departments including bedside nursing, theatre nursing, and infection control where she is currently posted. At Princess Marina hospital, she has been a coordinator and a secretary for the HIV/AIDS committee and a member of other organisations including COCEPWA.

“As a person affected by HIV, I understand how it feels like to live with HIV and to be disadvantaged because of one’s HIV status,” she says. “Being on the BONELA board has greatly opened up my mind in relation to a lot of ongoing activities, which I would otherwise not know nor understand. It is a fulfilling experience.”

Johannah Tlhomelang holds a B.Sc. in Nursing from Howard University and a Diploma in Nursing from the National Health Institute in Gaborone

Godisang Mookodi
Additional Member
University of Botswana, Department of Sociology

Godisang Mookodi is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Sociology of the University of Botswana. She holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of Toronto. Her main areas of research and teaching include: Gender, Development, Sexuality, Families and Households.

She believes that the war against the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Botswana should necessarily address social inequalities. It is in this context that she volunteered to serve on the BONELA Board.

“I believe BONELA is an organization that is making a difference locally and abroad in the way we view HIV, injustice and human rights,” she says.