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BDP Veteran dies
LEKOPANYE MOOKETSI
3/14/2006 3:48:11 PM (GMT +2)
Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) stalwart and former MP for Mahalapye Gaolese Koma died on Thursday at the age of 88. His nephew, Kebonyemotho Koma said the political veteran has not been well for sometime. He said the old man has been bed-ridden after suffering a stroke in 1997. The stroke left him paralysed on the left side of his body. Kebonyemotho said before he fell sick, Koma was involved in business and community activities.
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Koma was one of the founding members of the BDP and became the first MP for Mahalapye after independence. He retired in 1994 to be succeeded by Foreign Affairs Minister Mompati Merafhe as Mahalapye MP. Former MP for Ngami, Gaerolwe Kwerepe described the late Koma as an energetic person. He said he had known Koma since 1965 when they opened the first sitting of the interim government at the Lobatse High Court, which then housed Parliament. In Gaborone, Kwerepe and Koma were neighbours. Kwerepe said Koma was nicknamed "The Ghost" and "Maphashalala". This is because he liked to talk so much about Maphashalala village in Parliament. Gaolese Koma is a half brother to doyen of opposition politics and founder of the Botswana National Front, Dr Kenneth Koma. The former BNF leader said he urged Gaolese to run away from the cattlepost to attend school. Gaolese then proceeded to Indaleni in Natal for his secondary education. Koma said although they belonged to two different political camps, they remained close. "We were only divided by politics." He said he used to draft Gaolese's speeches and also acted as his secretary. BDP secretary-general, Daniel Kwelagobe said Gaolese's death was a great loss since he was one of the party veterans. He added that people like Gaolese sacrificed a lot for the party unlike today. Kwelagobe said Koma was a great debater in Parliament. He said although some development projects in Mahalapye came after he retired, they were engineered by the late politician. Former MP for Shoshong, Goareng Mosinyi said Gaolese was not born in Serowe as many people think. He said the late politician was born in Shoshong where they grew up together. He regarded Koma as his brother. They walked the same political path and later served together in Parliament. The political veteran will be given a hero's send-off on Saturday at Mahalapye.
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