‘I didn’t register to vote because Khama retired’
Young people in Dutlwe would not stop praising former president Ian Khama in an interview with The Midweek Sun recently. While their leader Kgosi Douglas Segwagwa blames Khama for the high rate of unemployment and increasing crime in the country, they sing a different song about him. “Most of them are just idling and abusing alcohol and dagga but strangely, you can’t separate them from Khama who failed to create jobs for them,” he said. Keletetse Mokala, 28, said that even though she did not register because her Identity Card had expired, she was discouraged to go and renew it after Khama retired. “My Omang has expired and nothing motivated me to go and renew it because Ian is no longer our president. I was going to vote for him if he was contesting,” said Mokala. She works for Ipelegeng, a programme she gives the former president credit for, saying he rescued them from poverty through it. “A lot of young people work for Ipelegeng and we will always thank and love Khama for creating it. With him gone, we are afraid Masisi might stop it,” she said. For Kelemogile Lekgowe, 34, Khama is like a father-figure to the whole nation. “Even though I ended at Junior Certificate (Form three), unlike during Mogae’s time where only students who got A to C were admitted for Form 4, Khama ensured even D students go to senior level. “He cared for us and knew that we are at different levels when it comes to literacy,” she said. Both said that the ruling Botswana Democratic Party had a great leader in Khama. Mokala said that she worked tirelessly to campaign for area MP Ngaka Ngaka who lost Bulela Ditswe elections to Friction Tshoganetso Leuwe. But again young people in Dutlwe say that they would rather vote Alliance for Progressives than Umbrella For Democracy. They however advised that AP candidate Jacob Kelebeng should reinforce his campaign. “He should come here and introduce himself properly to us. We would rather vote him than UDC,” she said.