Khama brands critics lost souls

President Ian Khama. PIC KEBOFHE MATHE
President Ian Khama. PIC KEBOFHE MATHE

President Ian Khama on Friday frowned at being labelled a dictator and said the tag comes from “frustrated lost souls in the opposition”. Speaking at the ruling party’s national council meeting in Gaborone, Khama underlined his democratic credentials, stating that his initiatives are based on the wishes of Batswana gathered at Kgotla meetings, walkabouts and consultations with cabinet.

“For as long as I am in office, I will continue to do it this way, because that is the meaning of democracy. We will be a government elected by the people, to work for the people, because we too are a government of the people,” he said.  

In his acceptance speech immediately after he was overwhelmingly endorsed as the president of the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), Khama gave raving reviews of his often criticised pet programmes and emphasised that he was unapologetic about the initiatives. “I will not apologise for Ipelegeng... a programme that gives temporary relief for people to engage in work programmes for the benefit of their communities, while earning an allowance to feed themselves and their families and in so doing also support local economies, that is the Ipelegeng programme that targets 60,000 people a month,” he said.

Editor's Comment
Inspect the voters' roll!

The recent disclosure by the IEC that 2,513 registrations have been turned down due to various irregularities should prompt all Batswana to meticulously review the voters' rolls and address concerns about rejected registrations.The disparities flagged by the IEC are troubling and emphasise the significance of rigorous voter registration processes.Out of the rejected registrations, 29 individuals were disqualified due to non-existent Omang...

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