It is with great sorrow to announce the passing of Dr O. D. Mbuka a doctor under the Faculty of Medicine who was stationed in Letsholathebe Memorial Hospital.
Professor Andersson Chebanne has retired after 40 years working for the University of Botswana (UB). No other linguist in Botswana has delved into the study and publication of Botswana languages as extensively as Andy Chebanne.
Over the past four decades, he has devoted his life to the examination of Setswana, Ikalanga, and diverse Khoisan languages, addressing contentious matters such as language in education and linguistic rights for marginalised communities. Professor Chebanne has had a profound impact on the domain of language and linguistics in Botswana and Africa at large.
Anderson Chebanne, fondly called Andy, was born on the 21st August 1959 in Nswawzi in the Tutume District. He started primary school in the same village and then moved to Mater Spei College in Francistown for his junior and senior secondary education taking science subjects. He attempted sciences at the University of Botswana and Swaziland (UBS) and then switched to the Humanities. He left for France before finishing his Degree in the Humanities
In France, he undertook a Licence in Language Sciences, then read for a Master of Arts in Languages Sciences and Pedagogy. In 1987, he pursued an MPhil in Languages Sciences and then proceeded to embark on his Doctorate in Languages Sciences which he completed in 1991. His doctorate supervisor was Denis Creissels with whom he went on to publish a pioneering book, Tonal Morphology of the Setswana Verb.
He was recruited by the University of Botswana in 1983, joining as a Staff Development Fellow (SDF) in French. In 1984 he was promoted to lectureship and appointed a Faculty Tutor the following year, a post he held for two years until 1987. In 1991 after completing his doctoral studies, he returned to being a Faculty Tutor. He was appointed Deputy Dean of Humanities in 1998 after attaining the rank of Senior Lecturer, a post he held until 2004. During his administrative role as a Faculty Tutor and Deputy Dean, he continued to pursue research on the languages of Botswana, mainly Setswana, and Ikalanga.
https://www.ub.bw/news/professor-andy-chebanne-retires-university-botswana-after-illustrious-career
