‘I m in it to win it’

During her tenure as Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Gladys Kokorwe had also wanted to be a Speaker.

She announced her retirement from politics in 2009, and went on to become Botswana’s Ambassador to Zimbabwe. In an exclusive interview with Botswana Guardian this week, Kokorwe who is in a tight race for the position of Speaker of the National Assembly with Margaret Nasha, does not hesitate to make her desire to lead parliament open. “I’m in this race to win and I wish to continue from where I left off,” she says. She says that she had wanted to be the Speaker immediately after being the Deputy from 2004-2008. Kokorwe, who is alleged to be President Ian Khama’s preferred candidate says everybody liked the way she managed Parliament.

She is happy that portfolio committees have been established, something she takes credit for and says she worked hard for whilst the Deputy Speaker. Her job will be to see whether they are functional, she reveals. The issue of separation of powers is sensitive for Kokorwe as she   believes it will not just happen overnight. “It has to be there but it should not be forced. It will take time and people have to be consulted thoroughly,” she says, also adding that she would want Parliament to be apolitical. She would like to work equally with Parliament staff. Asked to comment on Khama’s demand for a written undertaking that the election of the Speaker, Deputy Speaker and endorsement of his choice of Vice President be by show of hands and not by secret ballot as prescribed by Parliament Standing Orders, Kokorwe could not believe the reports were true, saying she only read about them in newspapers.

With the arrival of fresh blood especially from the opposition, the public is expecting a colourful and exciting 11th Parliament, filled with tense and hard-hitting debates. However, the former Ambassador and former minister of youth, sport and culture does not anticipate any drama. “I look forward to working with the likes of Ndaba Gaolathe and Duma Boko, because to me they are just ordinary and well-mannered citizens,” she says. 

‘I reconciled Botswana with Mugabe’

 As she shows-off photos of herself with Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe in jovial mood, Kokorwe narrates how uncomfortable Mugabe was around her when she first arrived in his country, citing the standoff between the two countries as the reason. She says she worked hard to organise meetings for Batswana and Zimbabweans there, which gradually rebuilt the trust. This, she sees as her major achievement as a diplomat. Kokorwe describes Khama as a good leader who likes hard workers and who never shies away from praising and recognising them.

She recalls a day when he told Parliament how hardworking she was when she was a minister. “Hard workers are his favourite,” she says. “He is a good leader and nobody can stop me from saying that again and again,” she adds. In responde to allegations that she is the President’s preferred candidate for Speaker of National Assembly, Kokorwe says: “Then I must be powerful!” Botswana Congress Party’s Isaac Mabiletsa has never known Kokorwe as a strong character. Though he says she is competent and cooperative, Mabiletsa says Kokorwe is too simple and lacks her rival, Nasha’s strong leadership and highly-excellent charisma. “She is too loyal to the powers that be,” he says. He says she was highly partisan and totally aligned to the ruling BDP when she was the Deputy Speaker.

Actually, Mabiletsa believes that “Khama deliberately terminated Kokorwe’s Ambassadorial job to pave way for her as the next Speaker of the National Assembly.” Praising Nasha, Mabiletsa says she possesses good working ethics and lives not to please people over others. “She knows how to balance opinions,” he says. Pono Moatlhodi of the Umbrella for Democratic Change however describes Kokorwe as a responsible leader who knows how to work well with all people.