“I am not disillusioned” – Ntime

Botswana Democratic Party activist Kagiso Ntime says he is still comfortable with the party following his unceremonious departure from opposition politics a few years ago.
For sometime now former Botswana National Front activist and Youth League president has been keeping a low profile, sparking speculations withion political circles that he could getting disillusioned with the BDP.
“For quite sometime now I have been focusing on my personal errands travelling to Zimbabwe and South Africa,” said Ntime.
He said while there might have been temptation to throw his hat in the ring for BDP primaries his instincts told him not do so as he is still new in the party with a few ropes top learn.
“Constituencies such as Gaborone Central, Gaborone North West and both Molepolole constituencies including Kweneng East approached me but I would not budge,” he said, adding his political instincts are different from other politicians.
He is not in a hurry to enter parliament or the council chambers.
His interst, he said is in assisting building the party and recruiting new members to win elections.
“I wanted to set an example by not responding to their demands,” Ntime said, referring to the constituencies that wanted him stand for primaries.
He would not give himself credit for any exodus of BNF members and activists exiting the party although he believes he in some ways contributed to the hemorrhage.
“BNF leadership including Magama and Mabiletsa suspended me from the party over the Umbrella project where are they now?”
“I will not credit myself for the exodus but following my resignation from the BNF the majority of party activists and members left the party either for the opposition Botswana Congress Party and BDP. Some of them have since remained inactive as they are not happy with the turn of events.”
The son of expelled BNF veteran Lemogang Ntime, the young Ntime says BNF is in shambles noticed not only by his father but its membership that have since lodged the case with courts.
“Even in BNF leadership and membership there are those who are capitalists,” he reasoned, citing again the association of opposition Botswana Movement for Democracy and BNF.
“BMD is liberal democratic in character while BNF is social democratic but they are working together.”
He sees nothing tangible with the opposition coalition under the Umbrella project as to overthrow the BDP, come 2014 national elections as evidenced by the recent by-elections.
“Francistown West constituency by-election is on the way and certainly we are going to win it,” he concluded.
Ntime contested Gaborone Village ward twice under BNF ticket in the by-election and the previous national elections but was dismayally pummeled by BCP’s Seabelo Thekiso who has since joined the BDP.