Boko dismisses Judges’ Tribunal as cover up for Khama

President of the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) Duma Boko has dismissed the Tribunal appointed to investigate the four suspended judges as a “mere formality,” to cover up President Ian Khama’s “corruption” since the judges will be “fired” anyway.

Flanked by his deputy, Ndaba Gaolathe, the UDC leader was addressing a press conference on Wednesday in Francistown. He said the suspension of the four judges is a clear sign of Khama’s corruption. “Justice delayed is justice denied,” he said explaining that a tribunal is to be held for the suspended judges. He added that the justice system is currently in crisis as the workload of the judges has to be shared among the remaining eight. Touching on the utility crisis currently besieging the country, Boko said the water crisis started a long time ago and has been marked by critical instances of corruption by individuals in the current government.

He defended his party’s decision to march and hand a petition to the president of the country over the current crisis saying they will not apologise for marching and will in fact continue to raise alarm even if it is through dance and song. He added that billions of pulas were spent on Morupule A yet it remains a cold power station. “Billions of pulas were pumped into the procurement of these power and water projects and when you are confronted with the mistakes of the past you come up to us and tell us you do not make it rain. Of course you don’t make it rain, you are not God,” said Boko when clarifying the reason why they queried the situation to President Ian Khama.

Khama was quoted as saying he is not a rainmaker when he commissioned the Masama well fields in the Kgatleng district on the same day of the UDC protest march. Boko’s lieutenant, Ndaba Gaolathe said the solution to the water and power crisis lies in acquiring a regulator for utilities in the country, which he said should have been done a long time ago. He added that for investors to find it appealing to invest in the country they must be assured that they will recoup their investments, but if there is no regulator then there is no telling what the future holds citing that nobody can readily tell what the price of water will be in the next year.

The current government is under investing in these vital resources, allocating only P3.5 billion to water and power when in actual fact the government should not be spending any less than P30 billion over a period of five years. Boko added that the bulk of the P54 billion-budget goes towards funding corruption and that the UDC demands that the government must account for the billions-worth of taxes.