FREEDOM SQUARE
- Biggie Butale chose to defy his party the Botswana Patriotic Front and addressed party members in Francistown at what he called a consultative meeting. This is despite his expulsion from the party, and he still sees himself as the legitimate president of the BPF. He also said the recent judgement by Justice Kebonang had no effect on his position at the BPF. Several clips of what he said at the consultative meeting having been shared on social media and below are some of the reactions the things he said:
INDEED IS BIGGIE USED BY BDP, BCP AND IEC
It is very clear that Biggie Butale o romilwe boloi ke Domkrag le Saleshando. He even confesses in public that Saleshando called him. Ga re bolo go bua gore these two are BDP agents sent to break the opposition apart. We need to get rid of these guys buy doing everything to show people that they want to extend the BDP rule. Biggie Butale should stop attacking the UDC president by telling lies. Boko went to Serowe to support the candidate and there is nothing wrong with a more popular figure in a group being used by others to attract more attention and interest. Boko was the best person to attract more people to vote for the BPF candidate. Both Reatile and Biggie ga ba na kgogedi ya ga Boko or Khama and that is why Khama spoke at the last rally and Boko launched Rre Kedikilwe. He should just accept that his political ambitions are dead. Even in his home constituency at Tati West they cannot vote for him. A re tlogele re itwele le Domkrag le magapu a gotweng BCP a tswe fela mo go rumiweng boloi jwa DIS le BPD. [LETLHOGONOLO MOENG]
BIGGIE MAY WIN IN COURT, NO SUPPORT
Anybody who believes the people who gathered at Moruti Butale’s meeting are real BPF members o tlaa bo a se botlhale sentle. When you look at the pictures you can tell that some of them are just small boys who were picked from the streets, given t-shirts and food and told to go fill up the hall. That’s why there was a lady who stood up to tell Ganda Butale off. He had not expected there would be true members of the BPF who would infiltrate the meeting. They caught him off guard and was lost for words. All the others were clueless about what was happening in there. The guy is just too ambitious to think o ka etella BPF pele the members bas a mmatle. Even if he can win the court battle, he cannot win the hearts of the members. They will eventually tell him to leave their party. And why does he want to influence people against Boko? Why judge Boko before he even becomes president of the country? That meeting was just called to spread lies and preach hatred for Boko and UDC by a so called man of God. [TUMISANG MOLEFHE]
FOCUS ON THE ISSUE, NOT THE INDIVIDUAL
But guys, Biggie is telling the truth. We cannot just say we want to join the UDC so that we increase numbers that will defeat the BDP when we have no plan beyond that gore re a go bereka jang. It is not the first time an opposition leader who has been a part of the UDC a bua kgang e. It was once said by Phenyo Butale, Wynter Mmolotsi and Ndaba Gaolathe before they eventually joined the UDC. They said the UDC under Boko has no plan beyond just removing BDP. This was also repeated by Chilliboy Kgoroba. Then we heard it from Dumelang Saleshando. Now Biggie Butale was saying it in Francistown.
We should be worried instead of just hiding behind ‘as long as BDP e jewa we don’t care.’ People in Malawi were celebrating after parties worked together to remove the ruling party. Now they are crying because the country’s economy has been mismanaged. In Zambia they celebrated too, and here in Botswana we were using them as an example. Slowly and slowly the people there are beginning to cry that things look worse than before. Instead of attacking the likes of Biggie and Saleshando for this warning, we should sit back and demand answers as to what the leaders under UDC have in store for us after they win elections. The warning signs are already there that the UDC leader will be a dictatorial president. We already know of Khama. Look at the fights within these parties.
If they can fight immediately after winning the Serowe elections, instead of celebrating, what can we expect from them after winning national elections? Go a go lwelwa maemo as everyone will be saying if it was not for us you would not have won elections. All I ask is, let us be careful and not blindly rush to defend our party leaders without applying our minds to the things around us. Our hatred for Masisi and his BDP should not blind us to the other truths when told about our parties in the opposition. And that’s just what Dumelang Saleshando wants. To have a clear plan away from our emotions. [TSHEPHANG MOOKETSANE]
BIGGIE SHOULD RESPECT THE COURT RULING
Why would you take a matter to court and when the courts dismiss your claims you then don’t respect their decision? If Butale won this case he would be imposing and implementing the court decision and even citing it as his biggest defence gore the court has made a ruling which has to be respected. Butale is a lawyer and should know better. If he wants to fight this court decision he has to respect the courts outcome now and follow the due process to challenge it but by going around parading himself as the BPF President he might be making things worse and this might jeopardise his appeal. [VELLY MPOPELANG]
GOD WILL HUMBLE BIGGIES ENEMIES
I said it a long time ago about this UDC/ Ian combo is falling apart at the seams and failing dismally. A UDC with Ian can’t win state power. Not Ian again, never again, never. On Saturday Moruti Ganda shocked us with the masses who came to support him in Francistown and assured him their loyalty no matter what. Many BPF members don’t want their party to be eaten up by Boko’s dictatorial UDC, they prefer a stable BCP. Ian on the other hand desperately wants a congress to specifically legitimize and get his poster boy Reggie Reatile endorsed as President. Ian also wants Pastor Muzila as BPF VP. Currently the majority of BPF members are with Butale. God is going to humble your enemies sir Butale, you formed a party and grew it now some new arrivals and Jonnie Come Lately want to chase you to the streets and grab it all, thinking they will win some sort of state power with a party they stole and were against its formation. When you were hard at work registering and campaigning for the BPF some of those after you today were against the BPF and campaigned against it. Reatile is weak and is going to finish off the BPF. I told Keorapetse when he betrayed Saleshando, go check him in Phikwe, o tla rothisa dikeledi, he plays every sport now to try lure supporters. It’s sad, he has nowhere to sit for a meeting or Congress. No platform to make resolutions, the same thing will soon happen to Reggie. Those with eyes will see and those with ears will hear. [FRANCE MUSEVENI]
INDEED IS BIGGIE USED BY BDP, BCP AND IEC
It is very clear that Biggie Butale o romilwe boloi ke Domkrag le Saleshando. He even confesses in public that Saleshando called him. Ga re bolo go bua gore these two are BDP agents sent to break the opposition apart. We need to get rid of these guys buy doing everything to show people that they want to extend the BDP rule. Biggie Butale should stop attacking the UDC president by telling lies. Boko went to Serowe to support the candidate and there is nothing wrong with a more popular figure in a group being used by others to attract more attention and interest. Boko was the best person to attract more people to vote for the BPF candidate. Both Reatile and Biggie ga ba na kgogedi ya ga Boko or Khama and that is why Khama spoke at the last rally and Boko launched Rre Kedikilwe. He should just accept that his political ambitions are dead. Even in his home constituency at Tati West they cannot vote for him. A re tlogele re itwele le Domkrag le magapu a gotweng BCP a tswe fela mo go rumiweng boloi jwa DIS le BPD. [LETLHOGONOLO MOENG]
BIGGIE MAY WIN IN COURT, NO SUPPORT
Anybody who believes the people who gathered at Moruti Butale’s meeting are real BPF members o tlaa bo a se botlhale sentle. When you look at the pictures you can tell that some of them are just small boys who were picked from the streets, given t-shirts and food and told to go fill up the hall. That’s why there was a lady who stood up to tell Ganda Butale off. He had not expected there would be true members of the BPF who would infiltrate the meeting. They caught him off guard and was lost for words. All the others were clueless about what was happening in there. The guy is just too ambitious to think o ka etella BPF pele the members bas a mmatle. Even if he can win the court battle, he cannot win the hearts of the members. They will eventually tell him to leave their party. And why does he want to influence people against Boko? Why judge Boko before he even becomes president of the country? That meeting was just called to spread lies and preach hatred for Boko and UDC by a so called man of God. [TUMISANG MOLEFHE]
FOCUS ON THE ISSUE, NOT THE INDIVIDUAL
But guys, Biggie is telling the truth. We cannot just say we want to join the UDC so that we increase numbers that will defeat the BDP when we have no plan beyond that gore re a go bereka jang. It is not the first time an opposition leader who has been a part of the UDC a bua kgang e. It was once said by Phenyo Butale, Wynter Mmolotsi and Ndaba Gaolathe before they eventually joined the UDC. They said the UDC under Boko has no plan beyond just removing BDP. This was also repeated by Chilliboy Kgoroba. Then we heard it from Dumelang Saleshando. Now Biggie Butale was saying it in Francistown.
We should be worried instead of just hiding behind ‘as long as BDP e jewa we don’t care.’ People in Malawi were celebrating after parties worked together to remove the ruling party. Now they are crying because the country’s economy has been mismanaged. In Zambia they celebrated too, and here in Botswana we were using them as an example. Slowly and slowly the people there are beginning to cry that things look worse than before. Instead of attacking the likes of Biggie and Saleshando for this warning, we should sit back and demand answers as to what the leaders under UDC have in store for us after they win elections. The warning signs are already there that the UDC leader will be a dictatorial president. We already know of Khama. Look at the fights within these parties.
If they can fight immediately after winning the Serowe elections, instead of celebrating, what can we expect from them after winning national elections? Go a go lwelwa maemo as everyone will be saying if it was not for us you would not have won elections. All I ask is, let us be careful and not blindly rush to defend our party leaders without applying our minds to the things around us. Our hatred for Masisi and his BDP should not blind us to the other truths when told about our parties in the opposition. And that’s just what Dumelang Saleshando wants. To have a clear plan away from our emotions. [TSHEPHANG MOOKETSANE]
BIGGIE SHOULD RESPECT THE COURT RULING
Why would you take a matter to court and when the courts dismiss your claims you then don’t respect their decision? If Butale won this case he would be imposing and implementing the court decision and even citing it as his biggest defence gore the court has made a ruling which has to be respected. Butale is a lawyer and should know better. If he wants to fight this court decision he has to respect the courts outcome now and follow the due process to challenge it but by going around parading himself as the BPF President he might be making things worse and this might jeopardise his appeal. [VELLY MPOPELANG]
GOD WILL HUMBLE BIGGIES ENEMIES
I said it a long time ago about this UDC/ Ian combo is falling apart at the seams and failing dismally. A UDC with Ian can’t win state power. Not Ian again, never again, never. On Saturday Moruti Ganda shocked us with the masses who came to support him in Francistown and assured him their loyalty no matter what. Many BPF members don’t want their party to be eaten up by Boko’s dictatorial UDC, they prefer a stable BCP. Ian on the other hand desperately wants a congress to specifically legitimize and get his poster boy Reggie Reatile endorsed as President. Ian also wants Pastor Muzila as BPF VP. Currently the majority of BPF members are with Butale. God is going to humble your enemies sir Butale, you formed a party and grew it now some new arrivals and Jonnie Come Lately want to chase you to the streets and grab it all, thinking they will win some sort of state power with a party they stole and were against its formation. When you were hard at work registering and campaigning for the BPF some of those after you today were against the BPF and campaigned against it. Reatile is weak and is going to finish off the BPF. I told Keorapetse when he betrayed Saleshando, go check him in Phikwe, o tla rothisa dikeledi, he plays every sport now to try lure supporters. It’s sad, he has nowhere to sit for a meeting or Congress. No platform to make resolutions, the same thing will soon happen to Reggie. Those with eyes will see and those with ears will hear. [FRANCE MUSEVENI]
