On the day of the interview, he arrives almost 30 minutes late, probably confirming the saying that “if you are important, people will have to wait for you”. This is the man whose name has become inseparable from the BDP. In fact, he lives BDP. It would be unusual to find him without the BDP identity. His wardrope has three prominent colours - red, black and white of the BDP. But who exactly is Mazabathi. Born in 1958, he was raised in Palapye where he became the talk of the village, not because of political activism but soccer. It is from the dusty pitches of Palapye that he rose to prominence as a star right-back manning the solid defence of Palapye United. Township Rollers noticed him and in the 1970s, the team invited him for trials with three others. He made the grade together with Oris ‘Boyo’ Radipotsane. But it is the towering Radipotsane who is still remembered in soccer circles. This is not a surprise because Mazabathi was with Rollers for only six months when a chest injury ruined his football career. A Joel Sekitikiti thunderbolt hit him in the stomach and affected his chest.
His future looked bright at Rollers because with his Standard Seven certificate, the club had secured him a job as a counter clerk at the then Shell-British Petroleum (BP) Botswana. When his football career dimmed, he left the job and the club. He then hopped from one job to the other, until he landed at the BDP. He became a ‘driver politician’ as he prefers to call himself.
“After leaving Rollers, I worked as a letter sorter at the Post Office and left it to join Peace Corps,” he explained. The turning point of his life came when he worked for Friederich Ebert Foundation. He says he resigned his post at the foundation because of possible conflict of interest. “I was getting active in politics and there were rumours that the foundation was sponsoring the party. Now that people knew that I was a BDP member, they linked me with the funding.” For some time, he was unemployed until he was hired by the BDP. He has since been active in the party. He is involved in most of the party strategies. Currently he is the captain of the Robert Masitara campaign team in the Gaborone West North by-election. He is confident of pulling the rug under the feet of the Botswana National Front candidate, Otsweletse Moupo. He told Monitor that his undying love for the BDP dates back to his days at Sebeso Primary School in Palapye.
“I was a scout and one day former president, Sir Seretse Khama, visited. When we were greeting him, I was the odd one out – I greeted him with the left hand when everybody was using the right hand,” he explained.
The greeting caught the attention of the late president who told him how clever he was and that he was going to be real leader.
“I was still young and innocent. I didn’t know anything about politics but his words inspired me. I began inquiring more about him and I learnt that he belonged to a party called BDP,” he reminisced.
From then he followed the party’s activities hoping to meet the president again. During party functions, he availed his services, assisting to arrange chairs and run errands. His roots were now deeply embedded in the party. He has seen the rise and fall of many BDP politicians. Despite his immense contribution to the party, he is not bitter that rewards have not been commensurate with the level of his input. The only time he felt hard-done was when he was by-passed in the nomination of councillors.
“I still think I have some special skills than a majority of nominated councillors,” he quips.
He derives superiority over others in the fact that he has previously contested for a council seat. He says he understands the politics of Botswana very well and his is a special skill in a way. “Even Margaret Nasha (Minister of Local Government) who nominates councillors knows. The opposition was also disappointed that I was not nominated,” he claims.
His consolation is that maybe it was never meant to be.
Some of the politicians he saw rising through the ranks from party choirs to ministerial and ambassadorial positions include Labour and Home Affairs Assistant Minister, Olifant Mfa and ambassador to Zimbabwe, Pelokgale Seloma. He used to be in the choir with them, together with the likes of former cabinet minister, Michael Tshipinare and Lesedi Mothibamele. Apart from being the party driver, he is the branch secretary for BDP Gaborone West North.
He says he does not see eye to eye with his former boss and confidant, Botsalo Ntuane. He acknowledged that their relationship is now sour because of factional wrangling in the party. He says he is the grass that suffers when titans clash. Despites this, he says he is grateful to Ntuane for playing an active role in his appointment as BDP driver.
