Bakgatla Paramount Chief Kgafela Kgafela II dismissed President Lt Gen Ian Khama as a coward, accused the country’s administration of being a petticoat government and stopped the Attorney General from addressing Bakgatla during a highly charged kgotla meeting addressed by ministers Peter Siele and Lebonamaang Mokalake on Monday.
Molokomme was part of a government delegation that went to Mochudi to officially inform the tribe on why government had decided to de-recognise Kgafela as the Bakgatla leader.
Speaking shortly after Minister Siele had narrated events leading to the de-recognition, Kgafela said that he would not waste time on petty issues while there were serious issues the tribe could discuss and the political leadership could discuss.
He said that he did not understand how someone like him recognized as Kgosi by Morafhe could be derecognized by one person.
He said that there was no bad blood between him and minister Mokalake. He said Mokalake was his secondary school teacher but the ruling BDP has made him evil.
Kgafela said the same about Molokomme whom he said taught him at the University of Botswana. He said sadly Molokomme had also turned evil after sucking up to the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP).
He urged male cabinet ministers to stand up and not be under a petticoat government. Kgafela said Botswana is at crossroads and it was high time the country retraced its footsteps.
The Bakgatla paramount chief said his focus was to get rid of the country’s constitution, which he slammed as demonic.
He accused the political leadership of being dishonest. Kgafela said that in this era, it was important for everyone to commit their hearts to telling the truth.
He was unflinching and vowed to bring change in his lobby to get the High Court to set aside the country’s constitution.
He said that the country’s constitution was drafted and approved by BDP members only. He said chiefs and other tribes were excluded.
Kgafela said that to challenge the constitution, he had decided to mobilize churches, other tribal leaders and NGOs.
He said the political leadership was full of lies, adding that some in cabinet were claiming that the Attorney General was the one pursuing him. He vowed to summon Molokomme to court to testify in his constitutional challenge case.
“We can’t have peace if we retain this constitution as a people; we have to end the lying and lies.
Rre Siele is not telling the truth and they continue to peddle lies through their radio and television,” said Kgafela.
He said he had been using unpalatable language against the leadership because they did not want to talk to him.
Kgafela also urged President Khama to engage him and not be a coward.
“Tell Khama to come here so that we can engage,” Kgafela maintained, adding that he was not fazed by criminal charges laid against him by the Attorney General’s Chambers. He said he did not like fighting women but in this instance he had no options.
“I have nothing to lose, am going to give you a hard time,” he warned repeatedly. He advised Molokomme to go and look at his case and advise government accordingly.
“Am going to expose your government for all its mismanagements in court,” he said.
Kgafela warned that even if he loses his constitutional challenge, he will still take up the issue with the African Commission on Human and People’s rights.
Tribesmen who stood up were critical of government’s decision. When Molokomme stood up to clarify government’s legal position, Kgafela’s deputy Bana Sekai immediately took to the stage and declared that the meeting was over.
He said that Molokomme could not speak after the Kgosikgolo had spoken.
