The Botswana Federation of Public Private and Parastatal Sector Unions (BOFEPUSU) has somersaulted on their plans to reunite with main opposition Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) ahead of the 2024 general elections.
BOFEPUSU President Johannes Tshukudu told Sunday Standard that the UDC leadership has failed to explain their relationship with former President Ian and former spy Chief Isaac Kgosi.
Tshukudu said it was unfortunate that despite interest from both parties to renew their union,the UDC relationship with Kgosi and Khama has fouled the air.
“We are planning to meet the UDC leadership for an explanation on their relationship with Khama and Kgosi because these are the same people the UDC promised to take to task once they attain state power. We are now surprised at what looks like friendship.”
“If you remember well at some point, the UDC had said when they take over, the first thing to deal with will be Khama and Kgosi but today we see them making friends with them. There is nothing wrong with being friends but they should come out and tell us what they see now which they did not see then,” said Tshukudu.
“We do not know what entices Khama and Kgosi to the oppositions parties. They must come clean so that everyone can hear them out, I am sure the public will also determine where they stand on the matter,” said Tshukudu.
He stated that in the past, any traditional leader who wanted to venture into abdicated their bogosi,but now it is also not clear whether Khama is still a chief or a politician.
“He must make a choice between bogosi and politics so that when he goes to a political rally he does not pronounce himself as a kgosi but rather as a politician so that other politicians can deal with him in kind.”
“We cannot afford to allow him to use two titles. He should take a leaf from the late Bangwaketse paramount chief Bathoen, Kgosi Tawana Moremi and Kgosi Lotlamooreng who left bogosi so that people can view them as politicians,” said Tshukudu.
He also challenged the UDC to state whether they are befriending Khama as a politician or as a chief.
Tshukudu further said the UDC should also indicate how they managed to deal with the difficulties they experienced during Kgosi’s era as spy chief when they were calling for his prosecution.
“It is good that an individual must be given a chance to ask for an apology and that apology must be rendered to the public, to say yes I did wrong to the public during my time as director general of the DIS, then we start assessing him from there. As it is now, we have not heard any apology either from Kgosi or Khama,” added Tshukudu.
In 2014, BOFEPUSU endorsed the UDC indicating that it shared common principles and agenda.
In the lead up the 2019 elections, BOFEPUSU and UDC broke ranks after the UDC leadership failed to respond to the concerns raised by BOFEPUSU over the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD) standoff. The federation then decided to take a neutral position.
