The Botswana National Front Youth League (BNFYL) has called on government to set up a commission of enquiry headed by a High Court judge to investigate the killing and “obsession of security forces with the Kalafatis family”.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, BNFYL president, Kemmonye Makatane, said that the tragedy that has befallen the Kalafatis family is an indictment of Botswana’s security agencies.
He said the incidence of extra-judicial killings has grown tremendously under the leadership of President Ian Khama.
“On account of the fact that our security forces are implicated in the crimes committed against the Kalafatis family, we have no confidence in a process where the same agencies are investigating themselves,” he said.
Makatane also questioned President Khama for pardoning Kalafatis’s murderers while failing to extend the same prerogative to other criminals who had committed murder.
“What is special about the Kalafatis killers? We want the president to provide answers to the nation as to what it is that he knows about the Kalafatis shootings that warrants him to exercise his prerogative of mercy on the Kalafatis murderers,” he said.
Makatane’s comments come on the heels of reports that state security agents are after a laptop containing a homosexual orgy by prominent people which they suspect is in the hands of the Kalafatis family.
Recently his brother, Costa was shot by the police and sustained injuries.
Commenting on education, Makatane said the crisis in the education system is manifested by the poor examination results in recent years. “The position of the BNFYL is that the current sour relations between the government and the labour movement have a negative impact on the education of the people of Botswana.
“The government must make the learning environment conducive to learning by improving conditions of service of teachers. The problem of housing for teachers, low salaries and provision of adequate learning material must be addressed.”
He called on government to respect legal institutions such as the bargaining council. “We condemn in the strongest possible terms the attitude of President Khama of undermining legally entrenched institutions of labour relations and unilaterally announcing policies affecting employees at kgotla meetings.”
Makatane also condemned the national internship programme, saying it is abusive and does not address the needs of the graduates. He said the government must come up a law protecting graduates who are in internship.
“We demand that there be compulsory medical aid coverage, fully covered by employers, for interns in government and private placement. We call on government to make a law compelling employers to absorb graduates who have been placed under their care for more than one year,” he said.
