It’s time we confront a glaring, reality. This statement will not endear me to the system, and may, in fact, attract reprisals, but I will bear them with fortitude. I write, not out of disdain for His Excellency. I write, so candidly, because, I have goodwill for him, and my conscience, leaves me no choice. His Excellency, the President, is an unapologetic, regionalist. That must be said.
Since he came to power, key appointments under him have almost invariably been south leaning. Please, don’t tell me about ceremonial Vice Chancellorships, given to eminent Northerners, like Sheila Tlou, and Tebelelo Seretse. Any dimwit should be able to see through the veil. Those were purely, for women’s votes. They are intentionally delusory. It was all, PR.
Once again, we noted yesterday, the appointment of former Chief Justice Dibotelo, as Chairman of the Constitutional Review Commission of Inquiry. Judge Dibotelo is a person eminently qualified, and I will never doubt his merit. I would have voted for a person with a post liberal outlook, but then, it’s the Presidents prerogative. Judge Dibotelo, is a dyed-in-the-wool conservative, leading a constitutional review commission in a post liberal era. But, typically, Judge Dibotelo, and President Masisi, come from Thamaga-Moshupa. It’s all about that area. It’s all about the greater Kgatleng, Ngwaketse, Kweneng, area, as it has always been since our President took power. It was the same with his choice of Chief Justice, and several Judges, who are either from the same villages of the greater Southern area.
All President Masisi’s senior ministers (by ministry, not age), whether it be the OP, or Defence, are Southerners. His choice of DIS Director followed the same principle, of regionalism. Even the Head of the Covid 19 Task Force, ke mokgatla, with northerners, almost always, peppered around southern key appointees to give a false semblance of regional neutrality. Thankfully, he found a convenient legacy of southern appointees in the armed forces chiefs, the AG, and DPP, and could not having been happier. In this context, I am disappointed in the appointment of former Judge Dibotelo. Where is former Judge Phumaphi? Where is former Judge Mosojane? Where is former Judge Collins among others? Justice Dibotelo’s appointment, smacks of regionalism. It in fact is.
Bagaetsho, let’s not bury our heads in the sand when our country is going down the drain. Our President must call himself, to order. His attitude towards executive appointments, is divisive and decidedly regionalist. It even smacks of tribalism. He is failing to unify the nation, and is being pointedly divisive. When early into his Presidency, a suggestion was made that there was a North-South war, I was the first to defend him, and to blame Ngwato royalists as perpetuating an imaginary war for tribal and political reasons. I find myself having, continually, to review my position. Overtime, I have been confronted with the pitiless logic of facts. True, I remain trenchant that there is no regional war. It would take much more to break Batswana’s sense of nationhood. But there is, under His Excellency a deliberate, unwritten policy or regionalism with regards to executive appointments. This is not the Reset, we were hoping for.
President Masisi, please stop your regionalism. We have hitherto been a united county, even in our acrimonious political differences, and prefer to remain so.
*Kgosi Ngakaagae is a practicing attorney in the private sector. This article is reproduced with his express permission
