Basarwa activists are at each other’s throat following a suggestion by the executive director of Botswana Khwedom Council, Keikabile Mogodu, that the organisation should prepare for the 2014 general election.
“There is nothing in the Khwedom Council about such political programme,” says Kuela Kiema who, until last year, was the Council’s vice chairperson.
On the other hand, there are those like Rosinah Masilo-Rakgoasi who believe that “we need San Members of Parliament (MPs) and in those positions one of them could become a cabinet minister”. She adds that if any Mosarwa is seeking political office “anywhere in the country, let’s all be his/her campaign managers”.
However, she feels that 2014 may be too close and suggests that they start planning for 2019.
Matters came to a head when Mogodu suggested as an agenda item for an upcoming meeting “How to prepare for 2014 for San to adequately be represented.”
From correspondence that Sunday Standard has gained access to, some members – like Kiema – are clearly opposed to the Council dabbling in politics and have been exchanging hate mail with those who view the matter differently. Reacting to the proposed agenda item, one Bihela Sekere queries:
“My question here is representation where? But this accidentally falls within the date of general election, so some of us cannot attend a meeting where political agendas will be advanced. I think we all heard what [the Permanent Secretary to the President] said to badirela puso [civil servants] as far as political statements are concerned, and this is also in the General Orders.”
The latter is a set of the civil service’s dos and don’ts.
As Kiema points out in one of his letters to Mogodu, who also identifies himself as the Council’s legal, social and political strategist, it would be impractical for the Council to support political candidates because its members belong to different parties. He states that one Phankgi Resetse is a member of the Botswana Democratic Party, that he (Kiema) belongs to the Botswana National Front and that both of them want to contest for the Mokubilo council seat in the 2014 general election. Likewise, Xukuri Xukuri of the Botswana Movement for Democracy and Mathambo Ngakaeaja of the BDP are said to be eyeing the Gantsi North constituency. Kiema, who is a member of the BNF central committee, questions whether all four candidates would be sponsored by Khwedom.
This protestation and the language used rubbed Mogodu’s wife, Masego, the wrong way and she fired off an angry message to Kiema, accusing him of being personal and disrespectful towards her husband whom she refers to as ‘Mr. Mogodu.’
She writes: “Kante Kuela, what is your problem with Mr. Mogodu and Khwedom Council? You always respond by making personal attacks on Mr. Mogodu and criticise on anything about Khwedom Council.
If you don’t like Mr. Mogodu or Khwedom Council why don’t you just stay away and keep quiet? You have been doing this for a very long time, and to be honest with you, it is not right. I don’t think Mr. Mogodu owes you anything that you have to treat him the way you do. You cause unnecessary division and confusion within Basarwa with your actions on Khwedom issues. Mr. Mogodu was appointed by the Board and he is executing his duties as stated in his job description like any other employee. He reports and is accountable to the Board that has appointed him. Mr. Mogodu is well educated and does not deserve to be humiliated and treated the way you do as if o kopa phaleche mo go wena Kuela. Please have some respect.”
She suggests to Kiema that if he doesn’t like the way Khwedom is managed, he can mobilise Basarwa in Gantsi and the Central Kgalagadi Game Reserve, ask for money from his white friends and form an organisation that he would appoint himself executive director of.
Some members have not taken kindly to Masego’s choice of words and they took her to task.
“How on earth could you say that ‘If you don’t like Mr. Mogodu or Khwedom Council why don’t you just stay away and keep quiet?’” writes an upset Sekere.
In response, Masego says that those who have been disrespectful towards her husband “know very well why I responded the way I did and they got the point”.
She adds that for too long and on numerous instances, Kiema has been attacking her husband.
“All that time I have been very quiet, it is first time I am responding. Mathambo is the only one who was intervening a kgamelela [admonishing] Kuela the way he was making his personal attacks on Mogodu,” she says.
Masego herself supports the idea of the Council fielding political candidates in 2014 and appears to have been among the first to moot it. According to Sekere, last month she and Xukuri suggested that San organisations and Basarwa in general should sponsor San politicians for 2014 general elections.
Indeed in one letter she writes that 2014 is not far away and calls upon her comrades to demonstrate true unity by “financially and materially support[ing] other San who stand for leadership positions, and go vote for them.”
Personally, she pledges to contribute towards this effort financially as well as to help design pamphlets and promotional material.
“I AM SERIOUS. We have spoken a lot for so long, it’s time for action,” she says, adding that what party candidates belonged to doesn’t matter a great deal. “All we want is REPRESENTATION, it’s time that the VOICE of the San should echo and be heard.”
In agreement with this position is Xukuri who confirms that he intends to contest for political office in either 2019 or 2024 in Gantsi. He advocates a broad programme that extends to Basarwa taking up leadership positions in national structures in both the public and private sector.
The meeting at which the suggested political activity was to be discussed targeted Basarwa living in Gaborone. Some interpreted as a slight.
“If I knew that this Council was for some individuals, I could have not wasted my energy, time, and place where I was staying to work on the constitution. I thought this was for Basarwa irrespective of their geographical location in Botswana. But now it’s clear that this Council has owners,” writes Sekere.
Khwedom was formed last year to represent the interests of Basarwa across the country. Its committee is comprised of members from five districts: Gantsi, Kgalagadi, Kweneng/Southern, Chobe/Ngami and Central who contribute two members each.
