The President of the oldest political party in the country, the Botswana People’s Party (BPP), Motlatsi Molapisi is preparing to retire from active politics.
He is hopeful that either in May or July as long as there will be a chance for gathering, a congress will be called. He is not going to stand for any position. In fact, he said, had it not been for the coronavirus he could have handed over the reigns of the party last year.
In an interview Molapisi would not reveal exactly how many years he has led the party. He could only recount how many times he had been appointed to the post sometimes against his will. He yielded out of passion.
This saw him working with various people, some of whom were difficult to understand. He recalled in 2010 when the then president of the party-whom he deputised suggested that BPP partnered with the Botswana Democratic Party.
“I asked him why and he said the BDP was also a political party. So, I found that this man does not understand the position of the BPP,” he said.
He said in 1999 they went to general elections as a united force called the Botswana Allied Movement (BAM). They lost the elections nonetheless and years later; in 2011, another coalition was hatched-the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC). This further extended his office tenure as negotiations needed someone of his passion, wisdom, experience and zeal.
He believes his hard work which entails having to gather pieces together to raise funds as the party is struggling resource-wise, has helped the party float above stormy waters. Had it not been for him, he said the party could have long collapsed.
