"Gaolathe must be UDC President"

It may have been a witty side remark, or who knows, President Lt. Gen. Dr. Ian Khama may have been dead serious about the UDC “cheating” the BMD by denying the latter the coalition’s presidency.

Addressing Botswana Democratic Party’s Young Turks gathered in Tshabong to elect a new executive over the weekend, Khama used the opportunity to throw jabs at the Umbrella for Democratic Change.“Ndaba Gaolathe’s party, the BMD, has more opposition seats in Parliament, it won more constituencies, and he is the rightful candidate for presidency of the party. Now they say he should share power with (Dumelang) Saleshando. How is that going to work out?” he wondered.

He was referring to the recently-concluded opposition cooperation talks between UDC – a coalition of three parties, Botswana National Front (BNF); Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD) and Botswana People’s Party (BPP) – and Botswana Congress Party (BCP) that had dragged on for two years.  The negotiations culminated with Duma Boko-led BNF, which has seven Members of Parliament (MPs) retaining the Presidency of the UDC whilst BMD, a breakaway of the BDP and boasting eight MPs was made to share the Vice Presidency with BCP, a breakaway of the Botswana National Front, which has the lowest number of opposition MPs at two, following the defection of Bagalatia Arone to the BDP.

“Right now, Dumelang Saleshando’s party is treated the same way as BMD. This is not fair for them because BCP has less Members of Parliament,” said President Khama.

But in an angry response to Khama’s comments, UDC spin-doctor, Moeti Mohwasa said the country’s president cannot lecture them how to run their party.
“This is a sign of ignorance and causing divisions. This is the man who caused BMD members to leave BDP because of the way he was running the party. He should just leave us alone and concentrate on his failures. In the last election, it was agreed that Boko must be the UDC leader,” he said.

No sooner were Khama’s comments captured by Social Media than BMD Vice President, who also doubles as UDC’s Chief Whip and Francistown South MP, Wynter Mmolotsi reacted. Slamming Khama as a ‘prophet of doom,’ he wrote on his Facebook page, “Kindly note that Duma Boko is the UDC president and Ndaba Gaolatlhe is the Vice,” he advised and elucidated further, “In 2014 BMD did not appear in any ballot paper, is that clear? In Parliament today, there are three recognised parties and an independent MP.

These parties are UDC, BDP, and BCP. Soon, the two BCP MP’s will regularise their UDC membership in Parliament and we will therefore have only two parties in the house,” said Mmolotsi.

Khama had pointed to the UDC’s ‘marriage of inconvenience,’ as an indication that the coalition is headed for trouble and come hell or high waters, has no hope of wrestling state power from the BDP in 2019 as it has suggested.

“We are going to beat these people in 2019,” he said as a matter of fact, adding, “We are going to correct the mistakes of 2014 and increase our margin. Re ya go simolola ka Tlokweng,” said President Khama to cheers from chanting BDP youths. But Mmolotsi remained scathing. “We do not need BDP members to allocate positions to us.

We are more than capable to do that. Kindly deal with your issues and allow us space to deal with our issues.“At BMD, we have so many experienced advisers and we take advice. Advise yourselves on how to resuscitate your ailing party. The new UDC has two VP’s and you will have to live with that,” he hit back at Khama.

The UDC lost its only female MP, Same Bathobakae to death towards the end of last year, thereby necessitating a parliamentary by-election for Tlokweng, whose dates are still to be announced.

By ‘the mistakes of 2014,’ Khama meant the factions that had marred the BDP ahead of the general election leading to many frustrated primary election losers opting to stand as Independents (Mekoko/Cockerels), a situation that was not helped by Khama’s hard line approach when he threatened to expel the Mekoko from the party.

Gradually, there seems to be a thawing of relations in the ruling party, that is if this past weekend’s by-election results in Rasesa in the Kgatleng West constituency is anything to go by. The BDP has retained the ward, easily warding off the combined efforts of BCP and UDC.

At the the BDP youth congress, Simon Mavange was voted the new BDP NYEC leader with 170 votes against Thabo Autlwetse who got 138, while Bruce Nkgakile and Fox Segwai got 43 each. Autlwtese and Nkgakile teamed up for the positions of Secretary General and Treasurer against Mavange’s team and they emerged victorious.