Botswana Congress Party firebrand, Oarabile Motlaleng, faces fresh charges of threat to kill.
In handcuffs, leg irons and chained to a colleague, possibly having spent the weekend in police cells, Motlaleng briefly appeared before Broadhurst magistrate, Daniel Nkau, on allegations of threat to kill.
Evidence before Broadhurst police station indicate that the promising youthful BCP politician over the weekend at Block III in Broadhurst picked a spat with a relative, labeling her a bitch whose life needs to be cut short with a knife.
“F*#k you! I will kill this bitch. Ke tla tsaya thipa ke go kgaoganya gone jaana (I will take this knife and cut you into pieces right now),” so reveals evidence from the police.
An ambitious fellow, Motlaleng contested for the league president seat the previous elective congress only to be dismally defeated by the incumbent president, Lotty Manyapetsa.
During the landmark public service strike, Motlaleng, a former BCPLY secretary general, was amongst the opposition members at the centre of the processions, staging rallies and giving solidarity to the disgruntled public service workers.
Going by the name mosimane wa Zola, loosely translated ‘the son of Old Naledi’, Motlaleng’s political clout over the years has blossomed as evidenced by his dramatic performance at the last national elections- losing by a slight margin to the ruling Botswana Democratic Party council candidate in Naledi North Ward- traditionally opposition Botswana National Front stronghold.
It is not the first time that the BCP foot soldier has had brushes with the law.
Alongside Manyapetsa, Motlaleng was accused of damaging Botswana television property at the height of national election campaigns – charges which were eventually dropped because of lack of evidence.
They have since argued the charges were politically motivated.
In the ever turbulent political life in which arch-rivals take advantage of one’s mistakes including his social life, it remains to be seen if the charges will not be a challenge to what was a seemly promising career.
BCP leadership lobbies for good moral styles amongst members with their social life one of the party’s major priorities.
“You should guard against social lives that invite trouble. Taking much alcohol and becoming a nuisance to the public glare should not be one of your priorities. You should also guard against this tendency to beat wives or be a talk of the town or village when it comes to womanizing. A good leader should lead a clean life,” BCP then secretary general Taolo Lucas warned the party’s sitting councilors at a meeting in Mahalapye in the recent past, organized, among other things, to entrench a culture of good morals expected from party leaders holding positions.
Motlaleng will make another appearance on January 9th.
