Like someone on maternity leave, Moshupa MP and Minister for Presidential Affairs, Mokgweetsi Masisi, has all of a sudden disappeared from our faces, at least in as far as his Btv appearances are to count. This is the man who always had Btv cameras follow him wherever he went as though he was shooting Botswana’s version of American reality television show, Keeping Up With The Kardashians. This is the man whom some people had even branded the First Lady of Botswana as he had abandoned everything important in his office and criss-crossed the country preaching President Khama’s backyard gardening initiative. He went around professing how they will eradicate poverty through spinach, of course to the chagrin of some of us who believe poverty eradication is mission impossible.
You can alleviate the effects of poverty but you can never eradicate poverty. Even God Almighty must be shocked that these guys believe they can eradicate something he created. Eradicate poverty? That’s being dangerously, or should I say outrageously, ambitions. Masisi was always ready and available to defend anything that had a touch of Khama. At times I feared he would lose his cool in parliament and slap other MP’s for saying anything against Khama. He defended Khama like a mother would her child. He stood by Khama like a wife would her husband. He took care of everything in the presidency. He was Khama’s chamberlain of some sort. It didn’t matter to Masisi what Khama was being accused of. He defended everything and anything, even when Khama didn’t need his defence.
Yes, this is the man who got angrier than Khama himself when Khama’s citizenship status was questioned in parliament. You hurt Khama, the pain goes to Masisi. He had abandoned his constituency to serve Khama and Khama only. He had abandoned his ministry’s core mandate to serve and promote Khama’s pet projects. He behaved as though his life depended entirely on Khama (or perhaps it does after all). At some point even his blood brother questioned his rationality in parliament.
Now the question becomes, why has Masisi gone silent? I think Masisi must have realised that defending Khama at every corner might come back to haunt him in future. It must have dawned on Masisi that endearing himself to Khama might in the end frustrate his political future. There is one thing people don’t seem to grasp about Khama and how he operates. You can lick his boots the hardest but if you are not in his circle of associates, then you’re not in and you may never be in.
We still remember a certain guy called Oliphant Mfa who once suggested, almost, that Khama should become life president. He lost elections and Khama erased his phone number from his contacts. We still remember how Pono Moatlhodi went on his knees wailing like a child and even calling Khama ‘my father’, despite the fact Khama is young enough to be the one addressing Moatlhodi as ‘my father’. Khama’s friend is now challenging Moatlhodi for a parliamentary seat and we all know on whose side Khama is. Moatlhodi’s tears will never earn him Khama’s support. We have in abundance examples of people who have forced their love to Khama but ended up being sneered at like soiled diapers. It must be from these experiences that Masisi finally realised he is digging his political grave by distancing himself from the people and endearing himself to one person, Khama. It must have dawned on Masisi that should he lose the next general elections that will be the end of him ever receiving a hello from Khama. But then again, Masisi’s silence could be prompted by other circumstances.
Maybe Masisi is protesting. Look, before Mompati Merafhe left, speculation was rife that Masisi would be roped into his position. Masisi must have been hopeful of becoming the next vice president. You could see from the way he conducted himself that he was very sure. So it must have devastated him to realise he was all along sure for nothing when Ponatshego Kedikilwe was roped in as VP. Even when he addressed people, Masisi always oozed that confidence and authority that not even Khama ever displays. Merafhe was known to always defend Khama and Masisi wanted to portray himself as the next best defender after Merafhe. It is now becoming evident Masisi will never become Khama’s vice. He trails behind in Khama’s preferred list of successors. Thus Masisi must have realised and therefore has decided to just shut up and concentrate on his constituency and stop being arrogant to civil servants. When he ventured into politics, Masisi struck me as a very intelligent and articulate gentleman. He appeared to be in touch with reality. It was only after he became a minister that his mind got too fantasised with everything okayed by Khama. You have to give credit to Khama on how he has turned those men and women in parliament into babies. Some make noise in his support hoping to get ministerial appointments. Others die in silence, still hoping to receive ministerial calls from Khama. As they keep hoping against hope, Khama always shows them that he has his own people.
