CROCKY DOCKY

Dorcas Makgato, Member of Parliament for Sefhare-Ramokgonami constituency, will take no prisoners in future when defending Botswana Democratic Party and her constituency. Makgato, who is also Minister of Transport and Communications, challenged former president Ian Khama during the weekend political rally at Sefhare to tell the nation why he hates President Mokgweetsi Masisi so much. According to her, it is the hatred for Masisi by Khama which has driven the former president out of the BDP. “The time has come for us to tell each other nothing else but the truth. The time has come for cowards to stand back and allow the brave to be at the coalface,” she said before telling her listeners that she has a crocodile skin. “If he is a Kgosikgolo, he should leave politics and go to the kgotla because in politics, if you kick me I kick you back. “We are in the boxing ring and Khama expects me to nurse him. If he cannot stand the heat, he must leave the kitchen,” said Makgato whose view is that, Khama thinks he has the right to insult her because he introduced her to politics. Her rally comes on the heels of Khama’s rally in the constituency where the former President de-campaigned her in favour of the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) candidate, Dr Kesitegile Gobotswang. By decampaigning Makgato, Khama was making good on his threat to decampaign President Masisi and his supporters especially those in the party leadership following his much documented fallout with his successor, President Masisi.Khama has since founded the Botswana Patriotic Party (BPF) after leaving the BDP. Matters came to a head when, in one of his forays into the Sefhare-Ramokgonami constituency recently, Khama reportedly said, “Dorcus o a ntlwaela,” which remark Makgato found too condescending to be allowed to go unchallenged. In retaliation, she allegedly insinuated that the late Sir Seretse Khama’s death in 1980 was the result of alcoholism. Annoyed by this, Dr Khama’s younger brother, Tshekedi, joined the fray casting Makgato as a frustrated woman who is inevitably going to lose the elections. Tshekedi reportedly threatened to “confront” her. Makgato used the Sefhare rally to deny the accusation that she insulted the founding President. “I am accused of having insulted somebody at the Chadibe rally which some of you here attended. Did you hear me insult anyone,” she asked the group of party activists from Chadibe who had also attended the Sefhare rally. In unison, they answered, “No.” Makgato claimed that BPF leaders call her names such as drunkard and thief. “Those are not my names and as such I will not answer to them. “My names are Dorcus Makgato and those are the only names I will answer to,” said Makgato who promised to retaliate for any insult thrown at her. According to her, Khama has got neither discipline nor patriotism. “He is not showing discipline when he, without provocation, attacks an ordinary woman like me. “Nor is he being patriotic when he attacks the country from foreign land,” charged the Minister. Addressing the rally earlier, Lenkokame Sesoa, a councillor, had congratulated Makgato for her bravery. “I was confronted by a man who wondered whether there were men in this part of the Bamangwato District considering the way Khama has been doing as he pleases and saying what he wants. “That man is grateful to Makgato who is the first person to call Khama to order despite the fact that she is a woman,” said Sesoa. Another BDP activist Moilwa Moilwa, warned the people against voting the UDC. “Khama must not deceive you into voting Gobotswang of the UDC. “Has he ever voted Gobotswang himself? Only one party, the one represented by Makgato here deserves your vote. Makgato is not only an impactful MP. She is a competent Minister. “You cannot dump a Minister in favour of somebody who is not a Minister.” Obakeng Siamisang appealed to the people to take into consideration Makgato’s good track record when voting at the general elections this year. Another speaker Baakile Gobotswang said Khama has got a controversial track record. “Khama’s dictatorship as BDP leader led to the party split and the formation of the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD). “For 10 years when he was Head of State, the public servants were given a meagre 3 percent. It was during Khama’s rule that our education declined with the pass rate plummeting to an all-time low,” said Gobotswang who noted that, political problems are not solved by the formation of a new party. He challenged the BPF to produce a manifesto so that people may know what the party has other than anger. Tekolo Gosego, yet another activist, lamented the intolerance on the part of BFP. “We have never fought with the other opposition parties over a freedom square,” said Gosego whose party, the BDP has apparently had quarrels with the BPF over freedom squares in the constituency.