BDP approached me but I refused-Kapinga

Opposition parties’ parliamentary candidate for Okavango in the 2019 general election Kenny Kapinga has revealed that the ruling BDP approached him while he was with the police service but that he refused to join their party.

He assured Okavango voters that he will continue to reject the promises that are being made by the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) executives. Kapinga said the BDP executives told him to get a party membership card so that they will give him some top positions such as commissioner of police.He said he rejected the offer because he is a patriot and can’t be bought by the ruling party using big positions. “There are so many things that I have done and am proud of like rejecting the promises of the ruling party who are still doing so but I will continue to reject them, I can’t trade my soul for money or positions because I don’t want to be their object,” he said.

Kapinga said people thought that he was working for BDP that’s why they were approaching him adding that he knew that he was working for the government of Botswana. He said the BDP executives understood that they can’t use him to protect them when engaging in corruption or to abuse citizens. He said that after giving up on him they sent him to South Africa and later to Zimbabwe but vowed that he will never accept any offer from them. Kapinga however told the Okavango voters that he sees himself as the only man to represent them.

“I belong to this constituency, I have a cattle-post, borehole and cattle which really indicates that I am the son of this soil”, he said. For his part BCP youth league President, Tumiso Rakgare described Kapinga as a bona fide member of the constituency and a real patriot that rejected BDP’s promises and will never be bought by positions or money. “Our parliamentary candidate can’t be bought by billions of Pula like other guys who are being bought by BDP”, he said.He pronounced Kapinga as the biggest fish of the year in politics saying a constituency like Okavango which is poverty stricken while it is the hub of the Delta which is making billions of Pula through tourism, needs brave men like Kapinga who will win the battle in coming elections.

Meanwhile various speakers at the rally described the constituency’s Member of Parliament Bagalatia Arone as a ‘robber’ and a ‘crook’ who defected to the BDP with their votes.BCP president Dumelang Saleshando told Okavango electorate that Arone lied and misled them when he said he is joining the BDP to bring them developments. He said the MP stole BCP votes but added that they are not threatened in anyway.“We want to deal with Arone’s embezzlement by voting for Kenny Kapinga in the coming elections because he worked with law enforcements he will help us to deal with Arone’s theft”, he said. Saleshando said they still have hope of reclaiming the constituency.

He said they have been moving around the constituency and have managed to receive many members from BDP. “We have received 376 new members in Okavango constituency, most of them are from the ruling party and contested in the 2014 elections. This makes us believe that Arone’s defection is not a threat but rather a blessing”, he said.For his part, Vain Mamela said the MP is really a thief who ran with the people’s votes to BDP. He said that had it not been for BCP Arone would be running after students with chalk and duster because after he resigned from teaching, BCP pledged to give him a salary for a year.

“Arone found himself in big arrears because when he got to Gaborone he started imitating other MPs’ livelihoods forgetting that he is from Sekondomboro, which caused his defection because he was given money to buy a lodge”, he said.He however said they are not threatened because they know that the BDP will dump Arone in the coming election adding that they have realised that Arone is in plan of giving the constituency to Ian Khama and Tshekedi Khama so that they can do their businesses.

Mamela however said they are not threatened because in their travels throughout the constituency they have met and seen extremely worried constituents. Meanwhile Arone could not be reached for a comment at the time of going to press as his mobile phone rang unanswered.