Gaborone Central Member of Parliament, Dumelang Saleshando, recently lashed out at President Ian Khama Seretse Khama for what he called his habit of directing that huge amounts of money be spent on populist projects, such as Ipelegeng, constituency soccer and the Directorate of Intelligence and Security, which do not add value to the lives of Batswana.
Saleshando said this when he addressed a political rally at the Gaborone Bus rank.
He said that the Ipelegeng scheme, which Khama has introduced, is not helping in the improvement of Batswana’s lives as it pays way below the poverty datum line.
According to him, Khama came up with the scheme to seek popularity.
”The scheme was set up to earn him popularity and votes and nothing else,” he told the well-attended rally.
He said the same applies to the constituency soccer league, which he says is currently consuming a lot of money that could have been used for more beneficial projects than the constituency soccer league.
”The constituency soccer league is consuming a lot of money whilst there are more important things that could be done with that money,” he said.
Saleshando also lashed at Khama’s ruling antics saying that they are dictatorial as was proved by what had happened after the ruling Botswana Democratic Party’s Kanye Congress, which elected people into the Central Committee only for them to be pushed aside and replaced with those who had lost elections.
”People like Gomolemo Motswaledi and Winter Mmolotsi had won Central Committee elections but, as we all know, they were replaced by people who had lost in the elections. This is nothing but dictatorship,” he stressed.
Saleshando also said that the State House is currently consuming a huge amount of money as it is being reconstructed to suit Khama’s tastes.
“As I am speaking here, the project was given P5 million for refurbishments which have been ongoing for a long time,” he said.
The Gaborone Central legislator also attacked the Minister of Defence and Security, Brigadier Ramadeluka Seretse for what he said was enriching himself with tenders from the Ministry he is heading.
It was wrong, Saleshando said, that Seretse who is the Minister of Defence and Security, wins tenders from the same Ministry that he is heading. This, he stressed, was absolutely wrong and should not have been allowed to happen as it means that every time the budget is planned, Seretse campaigns vigorously for his Ministry to be awarded a big chunk of money knowing quite well that the money will end up in his pocket after he has won tenders destined for his Ministry.
”The man is enriching himself by winning tenders from his Ministry and I can bet that he vigorously campaigns for his Ministry to be given a lot of money knowing that he stands to gain if that happened,” he said.
Saleshando said that in neighbouring South Africa the Minister of Defence and Security is discouraged from tendering from the Ministry he heads because it is unfair, adding that he did not see the reason why Seretse should not be treated in the same manner.
Saleshando also condemned the system of granting institutions like the Directorate of Intelligence and Security large amounts of money when their duty is just to move around “snooping for lies”, which in the end does not improve the lives of Batswana.
DIS operatives, he said, were recently all over the place at the memorial ceremony of Lewis Nchindo, which he said made him wonder what they were doing at such a ceremony.
More surprising, Saleshando said, was that even their chief, Isaac Kgosi, was present.
