Sunday Standard has turned up secret audio tapes revealing how South African multi millionaire Bridgette Motsepe has harnessed South Africa’s big media houses and African National Congress (ANC) strategists to support Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi’s challenge for the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) presidency against President Mokgweetsi Masisi.
The audio tapes recorded Motsepe and her sidekick Malcolm X telling Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi’s son, Kabelo Binns that they have lined up the Mail & Guardian, The Sunday Times, The City Press, SABC and eNCA to support Venson-Moitoi’s candidacy for the Botswana Democratic Party Presidency.
Motsepe is heard urging Binns to provide them with people sympathetic to Venson-Moitoi’s campaign who can be interviewed by the media houses to promote her campaign: “Give us the people, when are they coming because we want them tomorrow.”
Malcom X on the other hand is heard saying “Editor of the Mail & Guardian, the white guy is willing to come to Botswana” to interview Venson-Moitoi’s supporters.
While Motsepe seemed not very keen on the Mail & Guardian saying it does not have a wide readership, Binns on the other hand was very eager saying:” The Mail & Guardian is highly reputable. We may not read it” but what it writes carries a lot of weight and is quoted widely.
Binns promised “we can do Rosyln. We can do one or two ministers.” Motsepe suggested Sadique Kebonang, but Binns shot her down saying Kebonang “is discredited and unreliable that is why he has not been returning your calls.”
In the audio tapes, Malcom X is heard saying they have lined up The Sunday Times, The City Press, SABC and NCA for the interviews to help Venson-Moitoi’s campaign.
Motsepe said the ANC media campaign strategist would be joining the group later to help them hone their campaign strategy. “The person who does media coordination for the ANC is coming” she said.
Motsepe, through Malcolm X earlier this month arranged an interview for former president Lt Gen Ian Khama with SABC in which Khama maligned the Masisi administration and promoted Venson-Moitoi’s candidacy.
A source inside the campaign told the Sunday Standard that they will this week start dump compromising information on the president through friendly media channels and paid up reporters in Botswana and South Africa.
In the secret audio tapes, Motsepe further revealed that she had engaged renowned South African music producer and songwriter Sello Chicco Twala to compose a campaign song for Venson ÔÇôMoitoi’s campaign, “he does all the campaign songs for the ANC” she said.
“What is your campaign song? Can you sing us your campaign song?” asked Bridgette to which Binns responded, “No, there isn’t any.”
Motsepe however stated that in an earlier meeting with Venson-Moitoi, the BDP presidential challenger had indicated that she had a campaign song. Motsepe further revealed that she had already engaged Chicco to come up with a campaign song for Venson-Moitoi’s campaign. She suggested that Binns should listen to it and decide it was OK. Motsepe also proposed that she should bring in South Africa’s self-styled kwasa kwasa king Malo-a-Botsheba to help Venson- Moitoi’s campaign.
Malo-a-Botsheba real name is Steve Sefofa and he is a staunch ANC member and Jacob Zuma supporter.
Malcolm X first made Botswana headlines in 2010 when he was believed to be the link between Louis Nchindo and alleged South African intelligence operatives who claimed that the Directorate of Intelligence and Security Services (DIS) under Isaac Kgosi was plotting to bring Nchindo down.
It is believed that m\Malcom X later sold out Nchindo to the DIS resulting in an acrimonious fight with the Nchindo family. Malcomn X then filed criminal charges with the Sandton Police Station in South Africa against Nicole Nchindo, Anthony Nchindo and Michele Nchindo for allegedly intimidating him.
Malcolm X claimed that Nchindo’s children badgered him with cellular phone text messages blaming him for their father’s death. In one of the text messages, Nchindo’s children are alleged to have warned Malcolm X against attending Nchindo’s memorial service. It is believed that Malcolm X and Isaac Kgosi’s relationship developed around that time.
