The robust, humorous Parliament of yesteryear
Ryder Gabathuse | Monday August 30, 2021 09:11
The list of these politicians will never be complete without amongst others, former vice president Mompati Merafhe, opposition politicians Maitshwarelo Dabutha, Kenneth Koma, Paul Rantao, and Joseph Kavindama.
Merafhe
Merafhe, who was also a retired army general, was endowed with oratory skill. He was able to express himself very well in both Setswana and English. In Parliament, just like at freedom squares, he was a great debater who had thorough knowledge of issues and was very brave to take his opponents head on and call them all sorts of names.
He was a rare and special breed of a politician, a naturally gifted, humorous and charismatic speaker. He was a very brave and courageous politician who feared no one and was not afraid to share his views on any subject that he was comfortable with.
Merafhe was the only BDP leader who cut the opposition to size and when on the floor of Parliament and at political rallies, he was a marvel to listen to. He assumed the role of a teacher giving a fully-fledged political lecture to both colleagues.
The current Vice President and Leader of the House, Slumber Tsogwane can learn good lessons from Merafhe’s demeanour and robustness in debating issues in the House. At the time, young MPs like Francistown South legislator, Wynter Mmolotsi could not escape enduring the wrath of Merafhe’s diatribe and character assassination.
Sample this: Merafhe once blasted an MP, “who had said that the powers bestowed on the President are enormous enough to have him walk into Parliament and start shooting MPs without fear of facing the wrath of the law.” To him an MP who suggested that “is a village idiot.” Merafhe knew that it was MP Mmolotsi who had raised the suggestion and in his usual element he pretended not to know leaving the August House in stitches and hurting Mmolotsi.
During his tenure as the Vice President and Leader of the House, Merafhe played his role very well and amongst others guarding the interests of former president Ian Khama both in Parliament and at freedom squares, a duty he performed with aplomb.
Koma
Koma will always be remembered for his towering intellect and empowerment of the Botswana National Front (BNF) cadres in particular. He was an indefatigable fighter who always left no stone unturned in his quest to achieve change. He had a way of using Setswana in an entertaining manner in an endeavour to send his message to the targeted audience. His legacy can be traceable to the manner in which some BNF diehards still use Koma’s trademark exclamation, Thaakaa! in their communication. the late Koma was the BNF president.
He believed in quality debate and presentation of motions which made Parliament an interesting place through research and polished language. Often times he used coarse Setswana in such a manner that he would leave his followers in stitches of laughter. He also had a sound sense of humour and charisma.
He once allegedly teased a party rally in the vernacular, “party e tshwanetse go godisiwa ka naka la mpa” and roughly translated he meant that the young men and women in the BNF should grow the party through involvement in intimate relationships.
He also had a tendency of accusing his fellow party members of fighting for the parts of an animal before even killing it, which tended to scare the animal away. He used the analogy to depict poor planning by some of the politicians in the opposition.
In Parliament when the going was tough, he once used the controversial idiom, “go metsa dithala..”(To put more effort). The East-Europe educated Koma had a penchant for keeping his followers in stitches with his regular theatrics and this attracted hordes of his followers to easily access his home.
One BNF elderly has also quoted Koma as having said, “Thaakaa! e ta re o taare motho oa mo itse, o bo o mo itse tota le sephinya sa gagwe gore se nkga jang...”
Kavindama
On another realm, Kavindama was known for his hard work in the Okavango where he traversed the length and breath of the rough terrain on a horseback and nonetheless managed to win the minds and hearts of the people to elect him their legislator.
He is acknowledged as a, “revolutionary icon and a spokesman for the down-trodden and the under-privileged.”
Kavindama’s exploits from how he traversed the length and breath of the vast Okavango constituency, “sometimes on foot to campaign for elections” are recorded in the annals of history. He actually spoke about an array of issues in Parliament and the current masterpiece Mohembo Bridge is listed among some of the issues that the late Kavindama advocated.
Kavindama, like other BNF stalwarts, was well schooled in the Koma exploits of keeping their followers spellbound.
Whilst he told the ruling elite the truth, it was also his corrupted Setswana that kept his followers spellbound.
Journals described Kavindama as, “a very able man who could do extra-ordinary things. Who could imagine the things he did to change the Okavango? It was unimaginable, for him to campaign on foot and yet be able to beat well-resourced parties such as the BDP.”
“It was Kavindama, the late Koma and Dabutha who entered Parliament in 1984 and took opposition politics to the highest point,” Mabiletsa is quoted in an earlier newspaper report.
The trio contributed a lot through the famous Dikgang tsa Palamente Programme then hosted by Nelson Leepile, among others.
Dabutha
Dabutha researched extensively before addressing his political meetings and often times kept people edgy with promises that he would never deliver.
Like he once promised to drop a “bombshell”, which never detonated, just as a strategy to attract multitudes to his rallies.
‘Dabs’ as Dabutha was affectionately known, was a businessman-cum-politician in Gaborone North and he knew exactly how to win the minds and hearts of hoi polloi easily. His rallies were always well-attended drawing people from across the political divide. Despite his penchant for empty promises, Dabutha’s rallies were a must attend.
Even in Parliament, Dabutha was fond of bringing well-researched matters that always caught the ruling majority MPs off guard. He had a tendency of threatening to spill the beans on his opponents.
Whilst in opposition politics it will rarely pass without one assassinating the characters of opponents, Dabutha would instead choose to tease his opponents.
He also had a way of thoroughly investigating his presentation in Parliament at a time when the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) was not yet born. He easily became a favourite for the hoi-polloi.
Rantao
Another equally entertaining journalist-cum-politician, Rantao, pioneered at the BCP and would later return to the BNF before his death. He was the people’s politician.
He knew how to draw people to his side and feed them on his well-researched political food from the palm of his hand. He was never boring and never ran short of new material.
Nicknamed Ostrich due to his height, Rantao was one of the rare breeds when it came to opposition politics. His strength can be traceable to his ability to speak both Setswana and English very well and laced with idioms.