Khama's motive questioned as he allegedly eyes BPF presidency
Recent reports that the former President, Dr Ian Khama wants to assume the leadership of the Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) have elicited criticism from observers who accuse him of being a power hungry tribalist.
Khama is the founding patron of the BPF
Commenting on the reports that Khama is considering becoming the new president of the BPF, an official of the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) who spoke on condition of anonymity posited that it would be unfortunate for Khama to do that.
Khama is the former president of the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP). He is also the Patron of the BPF; a position he took at the inception of the BPF in 2019.
“His hunger for power, a sense of entitlement coupled with a sense of being indispensable are not good for the opposition as a whole because the BPF is now a full member of the UDC. Should Khama lead the BPF, as party president, he will immediately become part of the UDC National Executive Committee (NEC).
“There is no doubt that, should the UDC win the 2024 general election, he and his party will most certainly expect him to take up a position in the new government,” said the anonymous observer, who added that it is a fact that those who feel Khama has played his part and should retire, may walk out of the party.
By the same token hard-liners in the Botswana National Front (BNF), Botswana Congress Party (BCP) and Botswana Peoples’ Party (BPP) may leave the UDC partly because they despised his democracy credentials when he was Head of State.
“Also up until Khama clears his name in court, he is potentially more of a liability than an asset to the UDC,“ noted the veteran politician.
Even former Member of Parliament (MP) for Gaborone South West, Robert Molefhabangwe warned that the UDC needs to be careful and not get carried away by Khama’s purported support from the people in Gammangwato.
“In my view, Khama’s influence outside Serowe is minimal. For example, we do not hear any voices of outrage in the rest of Gammangwato against government like we do in Serowe where government has been criticised for allegedly persecuting the former President.
“In 2014, the BDP won Boteti constituency by a very small margin. Khama was the BDP president at the time,” Molefhabangwe said.
The same applies to Shoshong, Mahalapye East and West where the winning margins were not huge. The former BNF official accused Khama of wanting to lead and not be led. Molefhabangwe is puzzled by Khama’s current attitude towards politics.
“He once famously told the nation that he hates politics. This is ironic because all of a sudden, he likes what he hates and hates what he likes."
According to Molefhabangwe, Khama’s leadership of the BPF may complicate things for the opposition.
“As far as I am concerned, should he contest, he will not only be passing a vote of no confidence on the likes of Samson Guma, Moiseraele Goya, Biggie Butale and other potential aspirants. To me this amounts to betrayal as well,” observed the veteran politician, whose view is that Khama should just let President Mokgweetsi Masisi make blunders on his own, on which people will judge him.
“The former President must learn to give other people a chance,” advised Molefhabangwe. “I believe Khama does not want to retire because he may be hiding something. As they say, he who is riding a tiger fears to dismount.”
University of Botswana political science lecturer, Adam Mfundisi also holds the view that although he is popular, Khama should continue to be a patron of the BPF and leave leadership contestations to the general membership.
According to him, because the BPF is at its infancy stage without the capacity to win elections in Botswana, Khama should remain the Godfather of the party for it to have significant influence. He posits that Khama is still the most influential politician in Botswana appealing to the rank and file of the population.
“He is a household name spanning years before and after political independence. He is an icon in Botswana despite vitriolic attacks by his detractors. Numerous allegations and prosecutions have been executed against him but they have not dented his political influence in the country.
“The more they persecute him the more he attracts support and sympathy among the people in Botswana,” said Mfundisi, who regrets that if it is true that Khama wants to take over the reins in the BPF that would in a way show his lack of confidence on the current leadership of the party.
This, says the academic, would invariably sow the seeds of instability and factionalism. The academic further notes that because the BPF is strong in the Central District (CD) particularly Serowe and its environs, there are serious allegations of tribalistic politics within the BPF.
In some quarters, Mfundisi says the BPF is perceived to be tribal party due to the dominance of the Bangwato tribe under the Khama dynasty. To the Khama opponents BPF should be declared a tribal outfit to suit their political narratives. The objective is to isolate the BPF and by extension the influence of SKI.
“Notably, the BDP can also be accused of tribal politics. Factionalism is the norm in political parties in Botswana. Khama’s entry in leadership does not necessarily cause political factionalism per se. Currently, factionalism is rearing in the BPF in the absence of Khama," says Mfundisi.
He observes that the broad objective of the anti- Khama crusade is to associate BPF with Khama to try to make it bad. "The narrative is that SKI is unpopular in Botswana which is misleading as he still has a large following."