I so love and cherish the power of nature for no human being can defy that power otherwise tyrants would become Godly. We have invented machines that defy the force of gravity or so we think because they can never do so indefinitely. After some period of time they are compelled by this force of nature to come down to mother earth.
Similarly humans by nature have to sleep, eat and drink for without the practice of these natural requisitions their survival, competency and efficiency shall be drastically hampered if not impeded.
In a nutshell as human beings we wish and try very hard but are always on the losing end in as far as going against the forces of nature is concerned.
Even greats like Sir Alex Ferguson, Jesse Owens, Rocky Marciano, Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King despite their in-depth intelligence, experience and skill did need favours from nature every once in a while to archieve in their various endeavours and Ian Khama is no exception.
In his battle for the party chairmanship he was plucked against a very formidable opponent in Ponatshego Kedikilwe but fortune swayed the results to his side by giving him the support of both Barataparty and the A-team, a rare occurrence indeed. Little did they both know that post Gantsi he would not need any of them. He already had his own faction not as large as the two of course, his was a unique type.
A bunch of white fellows and three or so of his trusted boys, that is Ian Khama’s faction and the rest are just no different from young blondes who dream of making it to Hollywood someday even before they know its geographic location.
With victory confirmed and the support of the party behind him the grand plan now got into motion and fortunately for him even before he could execute the first phase Venson Moitoi got rid Tebelelo Seretse and Bagalatia Aaron finished off Jacob Nkate. There was only one A team pillar remaining along the way and it was Mompati Merafhe whom it became apparent time and effort was not worth his while since age as has been proven would deal with him. These three were the bulwarks of the now extinct famous A team and with them out of the way the A team was nothing but history and rubble.
Unfortunately fortune was not going to help him deal with the Barataparty and with this group he was now compelled to apply the law of the jungle; brute force.
Political power or power in general is like prey to carnivores in the jungle. Never mind how much they can be scared away from prey, carnivores will scatter away for a while and regroup to come and try their luck again, much more determined, much more tactful and much more stronger than before.
Their natural understanding to the fact that unity is power is the cornerstone of their survival. This inborn characteristic is vital for their survival for were it to cease to exist, so will their survival and who knows, probably their extinction in the ultimate. Persistence and resilience are critically crucial for their survival.
Such is the case with politics. There is nothing like I am into politics and I do not like or want power, that is the sole reason or at least the eventuality. The levels of power aspired for by different participants in politics may differ but at the end of the day it all boils down to one thing, power. Politics is about power.
The ostracism of the Barataparty by Ian Khama was not in any way by default or accidental but rather by a carefully crafted plan long before the famous Kanye congress and the reason, purpose and intent was solely for one reason, the implementation of Khama’s succession plan without impediment nor challenge from anybody within the party who might at that time wield enough power to disturb orchestration of his plan.
It appears now that the great schemer has misread the art of War and has miscalculated disastrously. Like a pack of hyenas which had been temporarily scared off the prey by the lions, the Venson Moitoi led group has regrouped and has its eyes on Khama’s succession.
Lions are kings of the jungle but never be hoodwinked in believing that they are super kings of the jungle thus never challenged. In many instances lions will kill their prey but before they even know it hyenas will be arriving droves to demand a share in the kill. At first the lions will resist and charge at the hyenas but before long, the persistence of the hyenas ultimately compels the lions to relent. Unwillingly they will stride off nonchalantly giving up their kill and letting the hyenas do what they do best, devour.
Ian Khama’s Achilles Heel as it may turn out, was to have a unique faction on his side. Politics is a game of numbers and the unique faction does not have the numbers. All he has is a group of directionless overzealous bigots who have no idea of how to have a grip on the party base except when given money to splash around to buy votes during by elections and who knows, probably even during in-house party contests.
Nobody can go back and start a new beginning but anybody can start today and make a new ending, CHANGE. Don’t for a moment be fooled into thinking that the vicious contest for the BDP chairpersonship is just a mere jostle for central committee positions, the main goal is the jostle for presidency post Ian Khama. Unlike Festus Mogae and Q.K.J Masire(may Mme Mma Gaone’s soul rest in peace), Khama is not going to appoint his successor without a ferocious fight from inside his party and that is if he is lucky enough to have the opportunity to do so for as things stand we are going to for the very first time, see a highly contentious presidential contest and amendments to the BDP constitution at the 2018 BDP congress if not before.
It is not greed for power but just a natural phenomenon. I know very soon Venson Moitoi will be accused of being a power monger just like PHK when he vied for F.Mogae’s seat. The BDP comprises of human beings and not robots. Those at ward level aspire for council, those at council aspire for parliament, those at parliament aspire for cabinet and those in cabinet aspire for vice presidency and ultimately presidency.
Sadly this time around, Khama has to tread very carefully lest his actions bring about the second split within the BDP and this time around it will be more devastating. The era of compromise has its sell by date and these are the dictates of nature and democracy, contest.
I am yet to be convinced that Guma Moyo has aspirations to become president of this country which then leads me to the conclusion that he is representing somebody else’s interest, some Godfather.
Mma V & co have been around this party through thick and thin and they are not just going to sit down and watch the unique faction take over the party from them without a fight; power is glory remember. Call it the POLOKWANE of Botswana politics. What is going to be interesting though is the backlash post Maun “Polokwane’. But, if the recent Women’s League results are anything to go by then Mma V, DK &co may as well kiss their grip and hopes on the BDP goodbye and like PHK take a back seat and pin their hopes on sympathy and coincidence.
The swarm has invaded and as things stand it is unstoppable. Two things remain, jump ship or join the praise poets.
Gomolemo Motswaledi once said; We as opposition politicians may traverse the width and breadth of this country in search of regime change but at the end of the day it is God and God only who knows when and how this change shall come about. Take a look at the Arab spring for instance. For many years politicians have attempted to bring about change in the Arab world but it was not them who ultimately brought that but God.
Have the chickens come home to roost? Will the BDP hand over power as a result of an implosion or it is the opposition which will bring about the change? Only God has answers. We politicians are just messengers of God to keep that torch for change burning so that when change does materialise there is no void causing chaos.
*Kgoroba is a Mogoditshane based BMD activist
