Botswana Editors Forum has learnt with shock and disbelief the passing on of Beata Kasale, Publisher, owner and Chairman of The Voice Newspaper. Beata was a leader, not just of The Voice Newspaper, but of Botswana’s entire media industry landscape.
And her presence and contributions will be dearly missed. BEATA was a strong-willed personality.
She was a champion of press freedom.Her dedication to press freedom had over the years earned her an internationally acclaimed reputation and recognition, by both Governments and the private sector.
During her lifelong active role in the media, she participated in the creation of such organizations like MISA, Publishers FORUM, Press Council of Botswana and the Botswana Editors Forum.
Beata was passionate about journalism. She was equally passionate about fairness, insisting that while holding those in power accountable, the media should strive to do so with fairness.
Beata was an icon and mentor to many journalists, especially female journalists who she frequently complained that they remained disproportionately under-represented in the industry.
Over the years Beata has proved herself to be a shrewd and resourceful businesswoman, growing The Voice from a little Francistown based paper, to a national market leader that it is today.
She was also a Visionary as shown by her early determination that the future of the media is digital, and then going on to deploy her force of personality to take The Voice Newspaper along that path.
Today The Voice is by far Botswana’s biggest leader on the ongoing digital transformation happening in the media industry.
She had also dedicated her life to training female journalists.
She passionately resisted and fought all stereotypes perpetuated against women in the media.
And her role was beginning to bear fruits as shown by the growing number of graduates from her training programmes who are assuming positions of responsibility in newsrooms across various southern African countries.
Beata believed in social justice as shown by her past involvement in economic empowerment of the people of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve.
Most importantly, Beata was a mother, a wife, a sister and a grandmother.
We pray for her soul to find eternal peace.
Spencer Mogapi (Chairman / Botswana Editors Forum)
Beata was a sister to all of us in the media fraternity. She was always willing to go the extra mile to unify our otherwise fractious house – hosting practitioners at her publishing house, The Voice, organising the odd meeting to build consensus among publishers or editors – or involved in the training of women journalists (her passion) with various international houses, such as WINFRA, the World Association of Newspapers. She will be solely missed.
Methaetsile Leepile (Chairman of Dikgang Publishing Company)
Botswana Editors Forum on the passing of Beata Kasale
