In a highly partisan debate on decorum, no Botswana Democratic Party MP found fault with language that President Mokgweetsi Masisi used 10 days ago in Serowe.
Masisi had gone to Serowe to comfort the family of Kgotla Autlwetse (the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development) which had been attacked by arsonists in the early hours of the April 8 morning. The arsonists burnt a vehicle that was parked in front of the house to ashes but a rapid-response team managed to put out the fire that was just starting to consume the house as well. Speaking in front the house, Masisi chose to address issues that were not related to the arson. He accused opposition MPs of being in the habit of insulting him in parliament. He singled out the “so-called” Leader of the Opposition, Dumelang Saleshando, “who once attempted to burn down parliament and uses spine-chilling language”, as the main culprit. The “attempted arson” was in reference to antics of a mob of striking University of Botswana students who invaded parliament in the early 1990s. Saleshando was a UB student at the time.
Some students did actually invade the chamber itself during a session that then President Sir Ketumile Masire was attending. Following this incident, the security of parliament was upgraded by deploying a contingent of BDF members to guard the National Assembly when parliament is sitting as well as by posting security guards at the doors of the chamber. During his term as Mmadinare MP, Ponatshego Kedikilwe also implicated “a certain opposition MP” for having attacked parliament while he was still a UB student. Unlike Masisi, Kedikilwe was actually in the house when the invasion occurred.
Masisi added that if one reads back issues of the Hansard, they would learn that Saleshando takes after his father, Gilson Saleshando, who served as Selebi Phikwe MP between 1994 and 1999. Masisi’s original Setswana is as follows: “Yo go ka bong gotwe moeteledipele wa kganetso yo, rre yo o se nang botho le maitseo yo (inaudible) yoo o kileng a re o tshuba palamente, a e tlhasetse, yo o mahoko a a sisimosang mmele, mme ha o tsaya di-hansard tsa bogologolo, yo a mo tsetseng o ne a bua mahoko a a tshwanang le one a.”
Beyond the out-of-context attack on the senior Saleshando, some have pointed out that the word “tsetseng” (caused the birth of) is deeply offensive because it is ordinarily used for animals. The more polite word would have been “tshotseng.”
Of opposition MPs, Masisi said that they insult, disrespect and lie about him but are actually cowards who conveniently limit such actions to parliament: “Ba bereka go nthoga! Ba bereka go nkgakgahalla – basimanyana – go nkgakgahalla, go bua tse eseng boammaaruri. Ba magatlapa, ba palelwa ke go bua ko ntle ga palamente.” The explanations for the cowardice is that if the MPs attack Masisi outside parliament, especially by lying about him, then would be prosecuted or sued because their parliamentary immunity protects them for what they say in parliament only and not outside. Masisi said that opposition MPs are “servants” to the ruling party: “… re ba ruile.” He added that he wouldn’t insult them back because “ba a ineelela” (they are bringing the misfortune hex upon themselves).
Ironically, Masisi’s words came under controversial focus in parliament courtesy of the Minister for Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration, Kabo Morwaeng, last Wednesday. Earlier, he had notified the Speaker that he wanted to make a statement to parliament as it wrapped up its business for the budget session. In the statement, Morwaeng lamented the use of “inflammatory”, “derogatory” and “disrespectful” language in parliament, especially when it targets the president. What was supposed to be general counsel against use of offensive soon turned into counsel against use of such language on Masisi. The irony was that an action meant to protect the president, actually exposed him to attack from the Opposition Bench. The voice of an off-frame MP was heard to remark: “O a rumolana. E ka re tautona a tswa go rogana ko Serowe.” [That’s provocation – the president himself insulted people in Serowe.”
When MPs got a chance to speak, those in the opposition (Umbrella for Democratic Change and Alliance for Progressives) attacked Masisi for what he had said about the elder Saleshando while those in the ruling party defended him. The defence was itself disingenuous because the BDP MPs never dealt with the substance of what opposition MPs had actually said about the Serowe incident.
Francistown South MP, Wynter Mmolotsi began his contribution by asking Morwaeng whether he was serious or was just mocking the president.
“Do you know that people have complained about the way he speaks to them, as he did a few days ago when he insulted someone much older than he is, Dumelang’s father, Honourable Saleshando?” posed Mmolotsi rendering the second part of his statement as “… jaaka maloba a roga motsadi hela yo motona mo go ene, RaDumelang, Honourable Saleshando.”
Gantsi South MP, Motsamai Motsamai, asked Morwaeng whether he remonstrated with Masisi for attacking a former MP who can’t defend himself. Motsamai was misapplying a parliamentary rule that MPs shouldn’t attack outsiders when debating in parliament. Masisi, who is also an MP, was making such attack outside parliament.
“Did you confront him about that?” asked Motsamai. “You should talk to him about his own conduct before coming here to complain about ours.”
That point was echoed by Ngami MP, Carterpillar Hikuama, who said that while Morwaeng’s counsel made perfect sense, he should also be concerned about Masisi’s own public conduct.
“The nation also deserves respect,” said the MP quoting an incident in which the president used an ill-judged term (“nywee”) at a kgotla meeting in an effort to discourage begging where self-reliance would be desired.
Masisi actual words were “Le mogolo wa maloba o tla a bo a tsena ko kgotleng a re ‘nywee tautona ke batla terata.” [Even an elderly person can say ‘I want wire fence roll.’]
“Nywee-nywee” is an ethno-cultural buffer term that combines hyperbole and onomatopoeia and is used to mock someone. Its equivalent in English speech would be exaggerated verbal mannerisms that are also meant to mock. As used by the president, the “nywee-nywee” contrived to imitate the crying sound of an elderly beggar asking for the fence roll. To be clearer still, the term is ordinarily used in stated repetitive form but Masisi only said “nywee”, possibly catching himself a split second too late. That notwithstanding, those who have quoted his use of the term have used the full form, thus Hikuama said he was gravely concerned about the president’s use of such words as ‘nywee-nywee tautona ke kopa terata.’”
Mindful of how small their weasel room was, BDP MPs chose to attack opposition MPs for bad conduct but steered clear of what the president had said in Serowe. The Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development, Tumiso Rakgare, made an issue of the age gap between Masisi and his predecessor, former president Ian Khama, in order to make the point that the latter’s conduct towards someone who is younger and supposed to look up to him for guidance was improper. Taking up the latter point, Gaborone Central MP, Tumisang Healy asked Morwaeng to comment on his feelings about Botswana being attacked from abroad as well as about those doing so saying that they don’t care if the country catches fire. The MP didn’t mention names but was referring to a recent video in which Khama says “if it means that we have to go through turmoil and discomfort while we sort this thing out, so be it.” By “this thing” Khama essentially meant his personal rivalry with Masisi.
Using coded language, Thamaga MP, Pelaelo Motaosane, said that however much one tries to restrain themselves when attacked, there will come a time when they reach their tolerance level. While not giving precise details, the MP said Masisi had restrained himself for too long and had reached his tolerance level. Morwaeng reiterated that point when responding to comments by MPs. What he did next was baffling: he denied knowledge of the president insulting Saleshando’s father in Serowe but added that if that had indeed happened, the president shouldn’t be attacked with vile language. He then took Mmolotsi to task for saying that what he had said earlier (“… jaaka maloba a roga motsadi hela yo motona mo go ene…”) was culturally improper.
