An allegedly insolent attitude by Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture Shaw Kgathi has angered opposition youth party members, who now demand his resignation.
Botswana Movement for Democracy, Botswana National Front and Botswana Congress Party youths who on Monday attended a Youth Pitso meeting called by Kgathi have expressed dismay that not only did he prevent them from effective discussion, he proceeded to insult them.
The meeting led to disgruntled youths accusing the minister of turning it into a conference for enhancing the ruling Botswana Democratic Party, which they claimed had estranged many of them with misplaced programmes such as Ipelegeng and the constituency league. The youths made their complaint at an impromptu evening press briefing.
“I immediately smelled something fishy as soon as I set foot at the so-called Youth Pitso meeting when there weren’t even proper arrangements, including chairs and conference packages,” said BNF youth league president, Kagiso Ntime.
“For a long time we were urged to contribute to the debates going on, only for my colleagues to be afforded limited time to do so,” he said. “And when he stood up, instead of dealing with matters on hand, Kgathi became emotional and started insulting us saying ‘tsamayang le ye ko dipipireng. Lo ithaya lore le bo mang Nxaa’.”
Ntime called on Kgathi to retract his statement or resign from his post because such an esteemed ministry “could not be held at ransom by an emotional person of the caliber of Kgathi”.
He maintained that nothing of substance was discussed at the meeting.
The meeting, said Ntime, was another populist propaganda by the BDP “which is hell bent on misusing public coffers”.
BCP youth league president Lotty Manyapetsa said however they would not shun the meeting which is scheduled to continue, maintaining they want “to be party to these lousy deliberations so as to be in a good stead to satisfactorily inform doubting Thomases in the future”.
“This meeting was deliberate and we could see and feel the atmosphere in the air with our tormenting debates and questions ostensibly disallowed. They realized we could dispel the myth over their so called developments and let the future leaders of this country see and know the naked truth,” Manyapetsa charged.
“Because of Kgathi’s arrogance Botswana Zebras team was about to be removed from the world tournaments,” adding that the move should further intensify calls for Kgathi’s resignation.
“If nothing is achieved from our endeavours we promise the public to report Khama’s administration to FIFA authorities and like Nigeria action would be taken against them to deliver us from these populist overtures threatening to deplete our resources,” BCP youth league secretary general Onkarabile Motlaleng chipped in.
