‘Khama has blood on his hands’ – Modubule

The Umbrella for Democratic Change parliamentary candidate for Lobatse, Nehemiah Modubule, has accused President Ian Khama of having the blood of extra-judicial killing victims on his hands.

Modubule was speaking at the launch of Duma Boko. He alerted his audience that he would read out the names of people who have been slaughtered by security agents under Khama’s rule. After doing so some five or so minutes later, he went for the jugular. “All these people were killed by security agents. Where are their cases? We want to know. Morwa Khama, o madi matsogong,” (Khama has blood on his hands,) Modubule said drawing wild applause and cheers from the massive crowd.

The former Lobatse MP didn’t go as far as to provide evidence connecting the president to the killings but when talking about the case of one Pulaenele Sekete, stated, “we want answers morwa Khama, the buck stops with you Mr. President.”He cited many more cases of extra-judicial killing to back up his contention that a supposedly peaceful country is actually being spoiled by cycles of state-sanctioned murderous brutality.

“People are killed in the most astonishing ways. Motswaledi is gone and others like Kalafatis were shot like animals,” he said, referring to Gomolemo Motswaledi, the late UDC vice president and John Kalafatis, a robbery suspect who was gunned down by members of the military intelligence in 2009. He also mentioned Mothusi Moagi who was also killed in the same year “under the administration of Seretse’s son who is supposed to be peace-loving.” Seretse is the first name of Khama’s father who was Botswana’s founding president. Regarding Olebile Pitikwe who just disappeared from police custody, Modubule said that, “we want answers from morwa Khama. That’s why we say this government has blood on its hands. We must vote out Khama and his cabal because we can’t carry on like this.

Our people are being murdered in a supposedly peaceful country.” Modubule also said that one David Monggae met his demise during police interrogation. He wondered why someone could just keel over and die from being asked questions by police officers. “These things worry us a great deal about Khama’s rule,” the UDC firebrand said. However, Modubule said that the extra-judicial killings started way before Khama became president. “The practice of killing citizens in Botswana is entrenched but under Khama the situation has become worse. What we want to know is what Khama has to say for himself about people who have been killed. Maybe that’s why he says he is afraid when he speaks on Btv,” said Modubule who, in at least two instances, did a mean-spirited impression of the president’s infirm grasp on Setswana. “What has he done that he has to be jailed?” he asked.

The UDC has not officially stated what it believes to be the cause of Motswaledi death. That notwithstanding, Modubule cited his “horrific and unusual death” among the spate of suspicious deaths of late. “We know incidents of this nature are engineered by fearful people but we won’t be cowed,” he said.

The youthful politician died in a car accident and on suspicion that foul play could have been the cause, the UDC engaged the services of top South African experts to investigate. The party says the investigations are taking as long as they have to and that it will not be pressurised into releasing an incomplete report. Francistown South parliamentary candidate Wynter Mmolotsi, expressed astonishment that 20 years later, the Scotland Yard report on the murder of Segametsi Mogomotsi was yet to be released yet the UDC was being asked to release a report into an incident that happened three months ago. Mogomotsi is a Mochudi school girl who was murdered for ritual purposes in November 1994. Realigning his message to Modubule’s on extra-judicial killings, Mmolotsi appealed to the security organs to live up to their statutory mandate and protect members of the public from those who would wish to prey upon them. “Your duty is to protect the nation – not to terrorise it.

Your duty is not to kill people, it is not to perform witchcraft on anybody’s behalf and you should refuse if you are asked to do so,” said Mmolotsi who, like Modubule, lamented the paralysing fear that has gripped the nation of late. One of the only two women speakers at the rally, Tshireletso Koie said that if people elected to come under the shade of the umbrella by voting for the UDC, then their lives would be firmly protected.