Kgosi Serogola, Serowe MPs clash over Kgotla
Members of Parliament for the three Serowe Constituencies have accused GammaNgwato Acting regent Kgosi Serogola Seretse of sabotaging and preventing morafhe from getting updates from them regarding the just-ended Special Parliament session.
The Special session was convened to deliberate on the Constitutional (Amendment) Bill which came as a result of the report of the Presidential Commission on Constitutional Review. The Bill which has attracted criticism as it is said not to represent the views and wishes of Batswana, has been tabled by Minister for State President, Kabo Morwaeng.
Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) MP for Serowe West, Onalepelo Kedikilwe revealed that they had made a request as the three MPs for Serowe constituencies to be availed the Serowe Main Kgotla to address Batswana on the Constitution (Amendment) Bill which was before Parliament.
The three MPs are Kedikilwe, Leepetswe Lesedi of Serowe South and Baratiwa Mathoothe of Serowe North.
Kedikilwe revealed during a BPF rally in Serowe that they have made a request to Kgosi Seretse stating their reasons why it is important to brief morafhe on the new developments. He said they have written letters asking for
permission to use the Kgotla but Kgosi Seretse declined.
'We tried all in our best to convince Kgosi Serogola to avail the Kgotla so that we could update the public on this important issue. As things stand there is no hope that we will ever get the chance to do that. Our only option is to address you in political rallies.
“He has even told us that if we want to address the public on the matter we should use freedom squares. Kgosi Seretse and the government are now weaponising the Serowe main Kgotla to fight everyone,” Kedikilwe said.
Kgosi Seretse has been at loggerheads with Khama and the royal uncles on the use of the Serowe main Kgotla. While the uncles have claimed that they want to be availed the Kgotla to discuss issues of morafhe, Kgosi Seretse has maintained that all those meetings are political and meant to advance a certain political agenda.
MP Mathoothe revealed that they know they have been targeted with the aim to ensure they fail to fulfil the assignment as MPs. He said in Serowe there are people who have turned themselves into sell-outs and become government bootlickers.
According to the MP, everyone who is close to Khama has become a target. “First it was Kgosikgolo Khama. They then went for the MPs and now they are after our councillors. Since President Mokgweetsi Masisi ascended to the high office, his target has been Khama.
“Now because he has nothing to say about the former president, he is busy throwing around initiatives that are for his own political benefit. Government officials are clueless about those initiatives,” Mathoothe said. Kgosi Seretse could not be reached for comment at press time.