Batawana are too kind ÔÇô I have reached one conclusion and one conclusion onlyÔÇô BATAWANA ARE JUST TOO KIND and well mannered to tolerate the hurl of insults at their King “Makhosetive” in silence. None of what is reported to have been said and transpired at the BDP political rally in Maun on the 10th October could have ever taken place in Mochudi or in Kgatleng. I am not trying to be pompous nor am I speaking diatribe, this is true and it is a fact, Lebonamang Mokalake knows better when he jumped around at the Oodi Kgotla for Bakgatla could not take any of his acts.
Peter Siele knows it too, so does the Retired General Sebogodi Merafhe as well as vintage Lesedi Mothibamele. Those in the know often talk about how former cabinet Minister Lesedi Mothibamele once fled the Mochudi Kgotla in full swing with Bakgatla tribesmen wanting to give him a dose of his own medicine, “ Baitse ba dilo ba re o chaiile Ministerial car stuff, go le thata, di baki di a kgiwa ke phefo”.
About a fortnight ago, print media and social net work was awash with news about the BDP political rallies that were held in Maun East and West Constituencies where insults were hurled at the Batawana Kgosi Kgolo Tawana Moremi. These rallies according to news paper articles were led by the President of the Republic of Botswana Lt. General Ian Khama accompanied by BDP election campaign manager, one Alec Seametso, Lebonamang Mokalake and others. What is reported to have taken place in Maun is something that will go down in the history books as one of the most embarrassing, pathetic campaigns BDP has ever had since its formation. Although many people made remarks stating their disappointment on such reckless behavior displayed by BDP, I was not.
They say desperate times call for desperate measures. This is politics, it is not for the faint hearted even those who claim to be political God Fathers have now joined the Julius Sello Malema style of campaign.
The arrogance displayed by BDP men in Maun and their total onslaught and disrespect for Kgosi Kgolo Tawana is not something new. It has recently happened in Kgatleng, it has also happened in the past during Sir Seretse Khama’s era. Seretse Khama saw himself as someone above other chiefs. His foot prints can be seen even in today’s regime. During his tenure, Seretse went on a deliberate crusade to ensure that he crumbled the institution of Bogosi. He did not bother about Bogosi even though he himself was a chief of Bangwato. His main interest was to hold a higher political office where his superintendent role over chiefs would be felt. He abused them, conned them, Dikgosi acted in good faith in dealing with him as they thought he was one of them and that he was with them. It was a relationship based on good will. They were however, fooled and hoodwinked. At the height of the Chieftaincy dispute in Molepolole/ Kweneng, Mohumagadi Kgosiemang cautioned Kgosi Kgari III that he should have let Bakwena resolve their own problems as opposed to bringing in Ian Khama to do it for them. She reminded him of the 1970 debacle where Neale Sechele was compelled to abdicate Bogosi because of Seretse Khama and summed it up by saying ‘Noga e Tsala Nogana’ (‘a snake begets a young one).
BDP needs to get its house in order; it appears it has now become a breeding ground for thugs and hooligans. Previously there has been THAT MAMPARA, famous for calling five radio stations at the same time. Mazabathi and his crew once misbehaved at BMD activity At Falcon Crest. In this year’s election BDP paraded a vicious, reckless Bull dog, inconvenient youth, Alec as it election campaign manager to hurl insults to opponents and even to the dead. Advocate Sydney Tshepiso Pilane once penned an article with a title heading “We have a Monumental Ego for a President”, Sunday Standard May 29-June 2011. In his article Pilane remarked.
“It does not lie in the mouth of the President to brand others as less patriotic than himself. He does not know what a loaf of bread costs because we buy it for him. He and his Ministers do not know what a vehicle and petrol cost because we buy them for them……..since birth almost he has been afforded his every need by Batswana with their hard earned money. The President has no idea what deprivation is. Our President thinks it is good leadership to feed his monumentally pathological ego to the detriment of the country…….Ka e le ntwa dumela, he is itching to unleash his violent force on us and we must not afford him an excuse to do so….. I call upon the President to abandon the childish desire to win by having his way over people who have no fight with him……” This is food for thought.
What transpired in Maun was un-called for; there was absolutely no need for Alec Seametso and his crew to fire such salvos against Kgosi Tawana. Politics is known to be a dirty game, but lying and trying to sell malicious propaganda is dangerous and our politicians must be cautioned against such filthy and demonic behavior. Whether they address Dikgosi in any form they deem appropriate or not, they must be advised that Charity, the sages have claimed, begins at home. Politics is a short term lease, Alec must consider himself lucky for Kgosi Tawana’s age regiment Matsaakgang is more humble, had it been Madibelankwe, Alec would have a story to tell. A sad story!. Bangwaketse must bring little man to order as a matter of urgency.
The appearance of many politicians mainly at BDP this stage could aptly be equated to the swarming of vultures in areas where meat is found. As we know what vultures are, they always come around where there is something of interest to them, either for a dead creature or some spilled blood they could feed on. As the date for the Botswana’s national elections drew closer, we witnessed a lot of drama at the ruling BDP with the coming in of new sycophants, bootlickers those who have high expectations of being appeased with rewards for being praise poets after elections.
The party found itself in a desperate situation to get the Magic 29 number in the October 2014 elections. This brings to mind why the public should be cautioned and be wary of the sweet talk politicians who have accorded themselves epithets such as ‘savior, redeemer, Mr. Clean, Mr. discipline, Mr. wisdom that all bother on sycophancy to win sympathy for votes. They know that the people are mainly illiterate, hopelessly poor and hungry. But this time round, the people must be in readiness to tell them that they cannot be fooled any longer.
Thabo Lucas Seleke writes from, Johannesburg, South Africa