Ntuane joins Khama’s trusted aides
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President Lt Gen Ian Khama used his powers to save former party secretary general Botsalo Ntuane from sliding into political obscurity when he brought him back to the Central Committee as one of the five members nominated by the party president.
Ntuane lost his position to Mpho Balopi of the invincible Mokgweetsi Masisi faction. With Ntuane having already declared that he will not contest the upcoming 2019 general elections, there were fears that his defeat would effectively throw him into the political wilderness. However, Khama stepped in and practically saved his political career, effectively keeping Ntuane in the 2017-2019 BDP Central Committee, but much to the dismay of Masisi supporters.
“A lot of Masisi campaigners are shocked and disappointed because they were hoping to be rewarded with additional member posts,” revealed an insider. By deciding to stay out of lobby lists ahead of the Tonota Congress and ending his parliamentary ambitions, Ntuane could have impressed Khama as someone who genuinely serves party interest and cared not much about himself.
In the run-up to Tonota, Ntuane tried to coax Nonofho Molefhi to drop out of the chairman race and instead take over the secretary general position. Ntuane offered to sacrifice himself to pave way for Molefhi, but his proposal had no buyers in both factions. This publication has established that Khama has finally warmed-up to the idea of trusting Ntuane after a relationship characterised by mistrust since the latter returned from Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD), a Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) splinter which Ntuane co-founded in 2010. Ntuane, then Leader of Opposition in parliament rejoined BDP in 2012.
At the funeral of former President, Sir Ketumile Masire, Khama revealed what looked like confidential information that the two met to discuss the nitty-gritty of honouring the departed founding father. Ordinarily, such discussion would occur in the orbit of cabinet but on that day, it appeared Khama had extended an olive branch to the then secretary general.
The 46 year old former legislator has spent nearly 30 years of his career as part and parcel of BDP machinery. After a promising career in Journalism as a student at the University of Botswana (UB) in the 1990s, Ntuane joined the burgeoning GS26, a BDP cell structure in the university campus and later became part of the Student Representative Council (SRC).
Ntuane rose to political prominence following the 1995 BDP Congress in Mogoditshane in which he was nominated as one of the five additional members to the party central committee by President Masire. Ntuane would later resign his position to take up a paid post in the party’s secretariat as a political officer. In 1997, he ascended to the position of Executive Secretary, a post he held until he was nominated as Special Elected Member of Parliament after the 2004 General Elections.
Today, with the departure of Daniel Kwelagobe from the party central committee after a 40 year reign, only party Treasurer Satar Dada boasts the same party experience as Botsalo Ntuane. Although still in his 40s, Ntuane has virtually seen all the careers of the current crop of BDP politicians burgeoning. He was BDP secretariat chief when Khama was introduced to the BDP and facilitated his membership; and he was already at Tsholetsa House when the longest serving Member of Parliament currently, Slumber Tsogwane first entered parliament in 1999, he also served in the BDP at the same time with Edison Masisi, the father to the incumbent Vice President Mokgweetsi Masisi.
“I have seen many political careers beginning and ending. I have been witness to transitions and in my generation; I know BDP more intimately than anyone so much so that I am actively thinking of writing a book on my experiences,” Ntuane told this publication a few months ago.
The evolution of Khama/Ntuane relations
It was during his first term as an MP that he found himself at odds with Khama, who was then party chairman and vice president. Ntuane, a protégé of Daniel Kwelagobe, then belonged to the Barataphathi faction while Khama was associated with the A-Team faction.
One of the most common clashes between Ntuane and Khama was in 2008 when Khama, new in his presidency introduced the new liquor regulations which brought among others, the alcohol levy and limited time for liquor outlets to operate. Ntuane vehemently opposed the development and irked Khama in the process. Ntuane had to restore peace by apologising to Khama.
The expression that there are no permanent enemies and allies in politics manifest accordingly in the Khama-Ntuane political relationship. Nothing describes their enmity best than the build up to the 2009 Kanye Congress in which the two found themselves in opposite sides in one of the fiercely fought political battles in the history of Botswana Democratic Party (BDP). Ntuane was rooting for Gomolemo Motswaledi and Khama supported all-women A-Team faction.
Ntuane and his team won, but barely a month after victory, his ally, Motswaledi was suspended for 60 days from the party and barred from contesting the Gaborone Central parliamentary constituency. Ntuane, who was Motswaledi’s sympathizer in chief, visibly hurt by Khama’s actions coaxed Motswaledi to take the matter to court. The matter ended in losses both at the High Court and Court of Appeal.
Following the court case loss, Motswaledi was slapped with a new 5 year suspension. The suspension set in motion a series of events which led to the formation of BMD. Ntuane, led the process of BMD formation as the chairperson of what was known then as EXCO, which oversaw the formation of the new party.
With him as Leader of Opposition in parliament later, Khama consistently pursued a policy of avoidance. The norm is that the head of state should consult leader of opposition occasionally on issues of national interest. Ntuane then decried that he was being sidelined from meeting head of states during their visits to Botswana. His only courtesy visit was of the Zambian President Michel Sata, a few weeks before resigning from BMD.
One of the defining moments of his relations with Khama was Ntuane’s response to the 2011 State of the Nation Address (SONA) in which Ntuane called for reconciliation between the workers and government. Ntuane’s posture did not impress his colleagues in the opposition and since then, he started inclining towards BDP again. In February 2012, against his party wish, Ntuane attended the BDP’s 50th Anniversary celebrations. He said he did so on his personal capacity and as the party’s longest serving Executive Secretary.
Although Ntuane returned to BDP a few months later, his arrival did not immediately ease relations between him and Khama. Last year Khama ignored a passionate plea to include Ntuane among the two names of individuals to be nominated Specially Elected MPs following a constitutional amendment which introduced two more posts for SEMPs in the National Assembly.
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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.