Masisi allies counter Khama magic
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The Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) Central Committee has backed down on the idea of cancelling next year’s party congresses and has since given President Mokgweetsi Masisi a blueprint on how to manoeuvre a transitional period marred by controversy.
Insiders point out that if President Masisi takes their advice he will be able to counter the so called “Khama magic” which seems to mar his Presidency. In July this year, party Secretary General, Mpho Balopi proposed to Ghanzi region that the National Youth Executive Committee (NYEC), Women Wing as well as the National Congress, all scheduled for next year, should not be held as expected.
Balopi and perhaps the party’s reasons to have the congresses postponed were premised on the fact that the party is going through a transition period, following the ascendance of Masisi to the party presidency in April this year. Intentions to have party congresses postponed were met with resistance by party structures and party veterans who believed the move is against the party constitution and its democratic credentials.
The party leadership has since bowed in and plotted another way in which Masisi could win the battle to win the soul of the party which has two centers of power – Masisi and his predecessor Lt Gen Ian Khama. Masisi, sources say, was given strategies by his colleagues in a meeting held on the 11th of this month. The idea is anchored on Masisi winning support from fellow democrats as the party will assemble for various congresses next year.
“The president should be surrounded by the people he trusts who can protect him and it is very imperative that all who win in the congresses next year should be sharing the same vision as him. Further he should be smart enough so that democrats give him the necessary support,” a BDP source said Wednesday afternoon. Masisi’s ascendance to the throne has been marred by fallout with his predecessor, with some believing that he is ill-treating his former boss, while others believe that Khama wants to undermine Masisi’s presidency.
Advisors, as part of the strategy, have told Masisi to claim ignorance on anything suggesting a ‘fallout’ between him and Khama and has since followed the script accordingly. “We asked him about the feud as we read and hear about it on the media and he said he should be given time to see if at all there is a fallout of which according to him it is just fiction from the media,” Kweneng West regional Chairperson Motlhophi Leo said.
Masisi visited the region on the 16th of this month as part of the plan to entrench himself on the BDP followers. There is an air of suspicion within the BDP multitudes that Khama who still enjoys support within the party will place his allies on some positions within the party committee. This is seen as a possible blow that could be devastating to Masisi’s rule as he would be surrounded by enemies who might even weaken him.
To this end Masisi has visited the two regions of Kweneng West and Central in a bid to have a firm grip on the party which seems to be undermining his authority. At the said meetings, it is indicated that he did what his advice-givers said, promising the party members that he will do everything to ensure they are happy.
“He promised us that he will consult his cabinet in the mid-term review next year to satisfy our needs. We have water problems, poor roads and no sewerage system. Further the government in initiatives are not enjoyed by all the people and should benefit,” Leo said.
On the other hand in Serowe, it is said Masisi warned the militant central regions party members to register in large numbers as some await primary elections appeals to end.
“He wants all the constituencies back and he encouraged everyone to register for the elections and avoid using the Bulela Ditswe appeals as the excuses,” regional secretary Gase Rapelang said. Kweneng West is made up of four constituencies Molepolole South and Molepolole North, Takatokwane and Letlhakeng Lephepe. Two of these are under the opposition and Masisi has emphasised the need to wrestle them from the opposition next year. The entire five constituencies under the central region are under the BDP watch.
Apart from the two regions, the president is expected to tour all the 14 regions to understand challenges they face while also tilling the soil for both the party congresses and general elections next year. This weekend the party chairman Slumber Tsogwane will visit the Ngami region to replicate what Masisi has done. The other 11 regions according to the plan shall be addressed by the president.
BDP APPEALS DELAY IRKS MPs
With the BDP Appeals Committee still assessing various protests from those who lost in the primary elections, BDP Members of Parliament say it has stopped everything. One MP who spoke to this publication said he has long requested ministers to visit his constituency, but in vain since they are still awaiting judgement. “I have long asked them to visit my people here because we have so many issues including water and road challenges but the relevant ministries are reluctant,” he said.
He revealed that he suspect that should ministers lose appeals chances are they will sabotage everything of which it will be unfortunate. Backbenchers have been conducting kgotla meetings to update electorates on the decision taken in the last sitting of parliament.
MPs are of the view that it is important to have ministers at those meetings to directly answer the enquiries from the public. The last sitting of parliament will commence on the 5th of next month.
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The curtain came down at the PAP session with pomp and FUNFAIR
It was pomp and funfair at the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) on March 18 as the African Cultural Music and Dance Association (ACUMDA) brought the curtains down on the PAP session with a musical performance.
The occasion was the celebration of the Pan-African Parliament Day (PAP Day) which commemorated the inauguration of the first Parliament of the PAP on 18 March 2004 at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The celebrations took place at the seat of the Parliament in Midrand to “reflect on the journey” as the institution turns 19. The event sought to retrace the origin and context of the establishment of the PAP.
The celebrations included musical performances by ACUMDA and a presentation by Prof. Motshekga Mathole of the Kara Heritage Institute on “Whither Pan-Africanism, African Culture, and Heritage.”
The PAP Day was officially launched in 2021 to educate citizens about the Continental Parliament and ignite conversations about its future in line with its mandate.
The establishment of the PAP among the AU organs signalled a historical milestone and the most important development in the strengthening of the AU institutional architecture. It laid solid groundwork for democratic governance and oversight within the African Union system and provided a formal “platform for the peoples of Africa to get involved in discussions and decision-making on issues affecting the continent.”
The genesis of the PAP can be legally traced back to 1991 with the adoption of the Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community, adopted on June 3, 1991, in Abuja (also known as the Abuja Treaty). This treaty defined the pillars and grounds for realizing economic development and integration in Africa and called for the creation of a continental parliament, among a set of other organs, as tools for the realization of African integration and economic development. This call was reemphasized in the Sirte Declaration of 1999, which called for the accelerated implementation of the provisions of the Abuja Treaty.
PAP celebrated its ten years of existence in March 2014, a year which coincided with the adoption, on June 27, 2014, in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, of the Protocol to the Constitutive Act of the African Union relating to the Pan-African Parliament (PAP Malabo Protocol), which, once in force, will transform the PAP into a legislative body of the AU. It requires a minimum of 28 countries to ratify it before it comes into force.
Therefore, the commemoration of PAP Day serves as a reminder to the decision-makers around the continent to fulfil their commitment to the PAP by ratifying its Protocol, 19 years after sanctioning its establishment. 14 AU member states have so far ratified the Malabo Protocol.
The celebrations of PAP Day coincided with the closing ceremony of the sitting of the PAP Permanent Committees and other organs. The Sitting took place in Midrand, South Africa under the AU theme for 2023, “Accelerating the implementation of African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)” from 6 to 17 March 2023.
PAP President, H.E. Chief Fortune Charumbira, expressed appreciation to members for their commitment during the two-week engagement.
“We have come to the end of our program, and it is appropriate that we end on a high note with the PAP Day celebrations.
“We will, upon your return to your respective countries, ensure that the work achieved over the past two weeks is transmitted to the national level for the benefit of our citizens,” concluded H.E. Chief Charumbira.
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PAP needs to priorities land issues-Prof Mathole
Prof Motshekga Mathole of the Kara Heritage Institute has advised the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) to prioritise the land issue in the continent if they are to remain relevant.
He said this while addressing the Plenary during the commemoration of PAP Day held at the PAP Chambers in Midrand, South Africa
The PAP Day was officially launched in 2021 to commemorate the inauguration of the first Parliament on 18 March 2004 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Intended as a platform for people of all African states to be involved in discussions and decision-making on problems and challenges facing the continent.
In a speech titled “Whither Pan-Africanism, African Culture, and Heritage,” Prof Mathole stated that for PAP to remain relevant, it must address the continent’s key land dilemma, which he feels is the core cause of all problems plaguing the continent
“If this Parliament is to be taken seriously, ownership of land and natural resources must be prioritized at the national and continental levels. Africans are not poor; they are impoverished by imperialist nations that continue to hold African land and natural resources,” said Prof Mathole.
“When African leaders took power from colonialists, they had to cope with poverty, unemployment, and other issues, but they ignored land issues. That is why Africa as a whole is poor today. Because our land and minerals are still in the hands of colonizers, Africa must rely on Ukraine for food and Europe for medical.”
Prof Mathole believes that the organization of the masses is critical as cultural revolution is the only solution to Africa’s most problems.
“We need a cultural revolution for Africa, and that revolution can only occur if the masses and people are organized. First, we need a council of African monarchs since they are the keepers of African arts, culture, and heritage. We need an African traditional health practitioners council because there is no ailment on the planet that cannot be healed by Africans; the only problem is that Africans do not harvest and process their own herbs,” he said.
Meanwhile, PAP President, H.E. Hon Chief Fortune Charumbira expressed satisfaction with the commitment displayed throughout the two-week period and said the PAP Day celebrations were befitting curtains down to the august event.
“On this high note of our two-week engagement, it is appropriate that we close our program on a high note with PAP celebrations, and I would like to thank everyone for your commitment, and please continue to be committed,” said H.E Hon Chief Charumbira.
PAP’s purpose as set out in Article 17 of the African Union Constitutive Act, is “to ensure the full participation of African people in the development and economic integration of the continent”. As it stands, the mandate of the Parliament extends to consultation and playing an advisory and oversight role for all AU organs pending the ratification protocol.
Also known as the Malabo Protocol, the Protocol to the consultative act of the AU relating to the PAP was adopted at the Assembly of Heads of State and Government summit in June 2014 and is intended to extend the powers of the PAP into a fully-fledged legislative organ. It requires a minimum of 28 countries to ratify it before it comes into force.
The commemoration of the PAP Day, therefore, serves as a reminder to the decision-makers around the continent to fulfil their commitment to the PAP by ratifying its Protocol, 17 years after sanctioning its establishment. 14 AU member states have so far ratified the Malabo Protocol.
The PAP Day commemoration also aims to educate citizens about the PAP and ignite conversations about the future of the continental Parliament in line with its mandate.
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DPP drops Kably threat to kill case
The Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) Chief Whip and Member of Parliament for Letlhakeng/Lephephe Liakat Kably has welcomed the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP)’s decision not to prosecute BDP councillor, Meshack Tshenyego who allegedly threatened to kill him. However, the legislator has warned that should anything happen to his life, the state and the courts will have to account.
In an interview with this publication, Kablay said he has heard that the DPP has declined to prosecute Tshenyego in a case in which he threatened to kill him adding that the reasons he received are that there was not enough evidence to prosecute. “I am fine and at peace with the decision not to prosecute over evidential deficits but I must warn that should anything happen to my life both the DPP and the Magistrate will have to account,” Kablay said.
Connectedly, Kably said he has made peace with Tshenyego, “we have made peace and he even called me where upon we agreed to work for the party and bury the hatchet”.
The DPP reportedly entered into a Nolle Prosequi in the matter, meaning that no action would be taken against the former Letlhakeng Sub-district council chairperson and currently councillor for Matshwabisi.
According to the charge sheet before the Court, councilor Tshenyego on July 8th, 2022 allegedly threatened MP Kably by indirectly uttering the following words to nominatedcouncilor Anderson Molebogi Mathibe, “Mosadi wa ga Liakat le ban aba gagwe ba tsile go lela, Mosadi wame le banake le bone ba tsile go lela. E tla re re mo meeting, ka re tsena meeting mmogo, ke tla mo tlolela a bo ke mmolaya.”
Loosely translated this means, Liakat’s wife and children are going to shed tears and my wife and kids will shed tears too. I will jump on him and kill him during a meeting.
Mathibe is said to have recorded the meeting and forwarded it to Kably who reported the matter to the police.
In a notice to the Magistrate Court to have the case against Tshenyego, acting director of Public Prosecutions, Wesson Manchwe cited the nolle prosequi by the director of public prosecution in terms of section 51 A (30) of the Constitution and section 10 of the criminal procedure and evidence act (CAP 08:02) laws of Botswana as reasons for dropping the charges.
A nolle prosequi is a formal notice of abandonment by a plaintiff or prosecutor of all or part of a suit or action.
“In pursuance of my powers under section 51 A (300 of the Constitution and section 10 of the criminal procedure and evidence act (CAP 08:02) laws of Botswana, I do hereby stop and discontinue criminal proceedings against the accused Meshack Tshenyego in the Kweneng Administrative District, CR.No.1077/07/2022 being the case of the State vs Tshenyego,” said Manchwe. The acting director had drafted the notice dropping the charges on 13th day of March 2023.
The case then resumed before the Molepolole Magistrate Solomon Setshedi on the 14th of March 2023. The Magistrate issued an order directing “that matters be withdrawn with prejudice to the State, accused is acquitted and discharged.”