Khama chieftaincy under attack
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Two senior ministers recently impressed upon President Mokgweetsi Masisi in a private meeting, persuading him to suspend former president Lt Gen Ian Khama from his chieftaincy, WeekendPost has established.
Information gathered by this publication reveals that the two cabinet ministers, who also served under Khama’s administration; Minister of Defence, Justice and Security Shaw Kgathi and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Relations Unity Dow want Khama to stop going around the country addressing Kgotla meetings. There are reports that is former president is allowed to go on the loose, he will harm the ruling party’s electoral prospects given the influence he still possess countrywide.
Khama broke ranks with the ruling party few months after leaving office, with some believing that he is determined to outcome of 2019 general elections in key constituencies. In a recent interview with WeekendPost the former president said a Kgotla is open to everyone including but not limited to government officials, landboards, politicians and Dikgosi (in which he fall) to address meetings.
But when he left office on the 1st April this year, Khama made it very clear that he will be not be going to take the role of a Kgosi but will rather work closely with Dikgosi in Serowe and consult as in when the need arises. After stepping down and leaving public office as State President Ian Khama continued his work from Office of the former President continuing mostly with his charity work. He entrusted the longtime serving Kgosi Sediegeng Kgamane to continue as Bangwato regent.
According to one of the local newspapers in 1973, Kgosi Seepapitso IV was suspended for one year because he was purported to have on several occasions behaved in a manner deemed unbecoming for a Kgosi and was perceived as a poor performer in the execution of his chieftaincy functions. The Chieftainship Act of 1966 conned the Chiefs to the authority of the state as well as adumbrating their functions in the tribe.
Of particular significance was the authority which is vested in the President to recognize the designation of the Chief by the tribe and to suspend and dispose him following a judicial commission of enquiry. Subsequent legislation substantially consolidated the power of the President and the responsible Cabinet Minister. In spite attempts by successive governments to emasculate it, the institution of Bogosi has stayed vibrant and is still revered highly today by the people and it is here to stay.
Kgosikgolo Kgafela II was de-recognised by Lebonaamang Mokalake, Minister of Local Government on 28th October 2011 as provided for in the Bogosi Act of 2008. Kgafela was being de-recognised for having (a) frustrated Government efforts to consult and communicate with Kgatleng community on developmental issues that affect the community; (b) abused his powers by ordering Dikgosana in Kgatleng to ignore and frustrate Ministers’ efforts in their bid to hold meetings in Kgatleng District; and (c) incited Dikgosana to be insubordinate and refuse to carry- out lawful orders from Ministers.
It is worth noting that Bangwato’s chieftaincy has been under the hands of regiments since 1925. According to Bogosi Act of 2008 article 7, appointment of Motshwarelela Bogosi (1) is arranged where a person designated as Kgosi under section 6 is for any reason unable to assume Bogosi, or where a person recognized as a Kgosi is unable to take up the functions of that office, it shall be the duty of the tribe or the person so recognized as Kgosi, as the case may be, to designate another member (in this Act referred to as "Motshwarelela Bogosi") of the tribe according to customary law, or the established norm and practice of such tribe.
(2) Subject to the provisions of section 9, the Minister shall, by notice published in the Gazette, appoint the person designated in terms of subsection (1) to be Motshwarelela Bogosi. (3) A person appointed as Motshwarelela Bogosi of a tribe shall exercise and perform to the exclusion of all other persons, the functions of the Kgosi.
Withdrawal of recognition from Kgosi, as stipulated in the Act, the Minister may, by notice published in the Gazette, at any time, withdraw recognition from a Kgosi if- (a) the Kgosi has been deposed and his or her appeal against the deposition has been dismissed or the period allowed for appealing has elapsed without an appeal having been brought; or (b) the Minister considers it to be in the public interest to withdraw recognition.
Both Ministers are said to be taking revenge on the former President Ian Khama. Unity Dow who lost elections in Kgatleng West was later brought in by President Khama and appointed Minister of Education. It is reported that Dow and Khama fell out at some point after the latter labeled the former incompetent as Ministry of Education was further sinking into woes. Bobonong Member of Parliament Kgathi who is also the Minister of Defence, Justice and Security is also not on good terms with his former boss.
Kgathi lost BDP primary elections to Francisco Kgoboko but got a lifeline as this week party politburo ordered a re- run. At the launch of Francisco Kgoboko Trust a few months back leading to the primary elections in Mabolwe, in Bobirwa Khama narrated how Kgathi tried to force him to cancel his acceptance to officiate at the event which was well attended. Former President who spoke at length against Kgathi, said he was shocked to hear the minister ordering him to cancel his participation at the launch.
He went on to label Kgathi power hungry and disrespectful to him as Bangwato Kgosikgolo. According to Khama Kgathi was also blocking Dikgosi from attending the launch. He went on to say a constituency is not a personal property as it is open to contest, words that did not sit well with Kgathi. While contacted for comment Kgathi said he has no idea about the said meeting and directed this reporter to Dr Dow before hanging up.
For his part the former President Ian Khama told WeekendPost that he overheard the developments but will not dwell much on them because they are baseless. He described Kgathi as someone bitter after the Mabolwe incident where Khama officiated. “Those people are bitter “, said former president Ian Khama. Continued efforts to get a comment from government spokesperson John Dipowe proved futile since his phone rang unanswered the whole week.
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Local tennis team upbeat ahead of Billie Jean King cup
With almost two weeks until the 2023 Billie Jean King Cup, which will be staged in Kenya from June 12-17, 2023, the Botswana Tennis Association (BTA) ladies’ team coach, Ernest Seleke, is optimistic about reaching greater heights.
Billie Jean King Cup, or the BJK Cup, is a premier international team competition in women’s tennis, launched as the Federation Cup to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the International Tennis Federation (ITF). The BJK Cup is the world’s largest annual women’s international team sports competition in terms of the number of nations that compete.
The finals will feature 12 teams (Botswana, Burundi, Ghana, Kenya, Seychelles, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Tunisia, Mauritius, Zimbabwe, and the Democratic Republic of Congo) competing in the four round-robin groups of three. The four group winners will qualify for the semifinals, and the 2023 Billie Jean King Cup will be crowned after the completion of the knockout phase.
Closer to home, the BW Tennis team is comprised of Thato Madikwe, Leungo Monnayoo, Chelsea Chakanyuka, and Kelebogile Monnayoo. However, according to Seleke, they have not assembled the team yet as some of the players are still engaged.
“At the moment, we are depending on the players and their respective coaches in terms of training. However, I will meet up with Botswana-based players in the coming week, while the United States of America (USA) based player Madikwe will probably meet us in Kenya. Furthermore, Ekua Youri and Naledi Raguin, who are based in Spain and France respectively, will not be joining us as they will be writing their examinations,” said Seleke.
Seleke further highlighted the significance of this competition and how competitive it is. “It is a massive platform for our players to showcase their talent in tennis, and it is very competitive as countries target to get promoted to the world categories where they get to face big nations such as Spain, France, USA, and Italy. Though we are going to this tournament as underdogs because it is our second time participating, I’m confident that the girls will put in a good showing and emerge with results despite the odds,” highlighted Seleke.
Quizzed about their debut performance at the BJK Cup, he said, “I think our performance was fair considering the fact that we were newbies. We came third in our group after losing to North Macedonia and South Africa. We went on to beat Uganda, then Kenya in the playoffs. Unfortunately, we couldn’t play Burundi due to heavy rainfall and settled for the position 9/10,” he said.
For her part, team representative Leungo Monnayoo said they are working hard as they aim to do well at the tourney. “The preparations for the tourney have long begun because we practice each and every day. We want to do well, hence we need to be motivated. Furthermore, I believe in my team as we have set ourselves a big target of coming home with the trophy,” she said.
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Pep Stores donates sanitary towels to Popagano JSS
The Guidance and Counseling unit at Popagano Junior Secondary School received a donation of 790 sanitary towels from Pep stores on Thursday.
When presenting the donation, Mareledi Thebeng, the Dinokaneng Area Manager, highlighted their belief in giving back to the community, as their existence depends on the communities they serve. Thebeng pointed out that research indicates one in four girls miss school every day due to the lack of basic necessities like sanitary towels. Therefore, as a company, they strive to assist in alleviating this situation. She expressed hope that this donation would help ensure uninterrupted learning for girls.
Upon receiving the donation on behalf of the students, Charity Sambire, the President of the Student Representative Council, expressed her gratitude. Sambire specifically thanked Pep Store for their generous gift, speaking on behalf of the students, especially the girl child.
She conveyed their sincere appreciation for Pep Store’s compassion and quoted the adage, “Blessed is the hand that gives.” Sambire expressed the students’ hope for Pep Stores’ prosperity, enabling them to continue supporting the students. As a gesture of gratitude, the students pledged to excel academically.
During her speech, Motlalepula Madome, the Senior Teacher in Guidance and Counseling, highlighted that many students at the school come from disadvantaged backgrounds where parents struggle to provide basic necessities. Consequently, some students miss school when they experience menstruation due to this lack.
Madome emphasized the significance of the donation in preventing the girl child from missing lessons and its potential to improve the school’s overall results. She expressed the school’s gratitude and expressed a desire for continued support from Pep Stores.
Popagano Junior Secondary School, situated in the Okavango District, holds the second position academically in the North West region. Despite its location, the school has been dedicated to achieving excellence since 2017
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Botswana misses out critical PAP committee meeting
The Pan African Parliament (PAP) committee on gender, family, youth and people with disability in its sitting considered, adopted and recommended to the plenary session the preliminary report on the framework for the model law on gender equality.
According to the last week’s media release from PAP which is sitting with its various committees until June 2nd, the committee is following up the PAP initiative to draw up a model law on gender equality to enable national governments to harmonize, modernize and standardize their legislations to address local needs is set to be discussed in Plenary.
However, what is concerning is the fact that Botswana which is a member state missed the deliberations. Kgosi Mosadi Seboko who sat in the committee representing Botswana has since been ejected by parliament and this is a huge blow for a nation that is still battling equity and gender balance.
“Although PAP has no legislative powers it makes model laws for member states to adopt. PAP also develops protocols to be ratified by countries. The input of countries at Committee state is extremely critical. It now means the voice of Botswana is missing the discussions leading up to development of protocols or model laws,” said one of Botswana’s representative at PAP Dr. Kesitegile Gobotswang who is attending the current session.
While Botswana is missing, the committee meeting took place on the sidelines of the Sixth PAP second ordinary Session being held under the African Union Theme of the Year for 2023, “The Year of AfCFTA: Accelerating the Implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area” in Midrand, South Africa and will run up to 2 June 2023. Chairperson of the Committee, Hon Mariam Dao-Gabala expressed satisfaction with preliminary processes undertaken so far towards the formulation of the Model Law,” a release from the PAP website reads.
“The law should be suitable to all countries whatever the predominant culture or religion is. The aim is to give an opportunity to women to participate in the economic, political and social development of the continent. Women are not well positioned and face a lot of obstacles. We are introducing the idea of equity in the Law because we cannot talk about equality without equity,” said Hon Mariam Dao-Gabala in the press statement.
The release has stated that among issues to be covered by the Model Law is the migratory movements of women. The Committee proffered that this has to be addressed at the continental level to ensure that migrant women enjoy all their rights and live with dignity in their destination country. The members of the Gender Committee undertook consultations to consolidate the contributions of the various stakeholders that will be the logical framework format for the Model Law.