Mamela: The rabble-rouser
Ryder Gabathuse | Monday April 11, 2022 06:00
He often spews out politics of character assassination and mudslinging alongside those of bread and butter issues. To this Francistown-based veteran politician and former banker, politics is a calling. In fact, politics is his church. He has even vowed that he and politics shall remain inseparable. Chiefly, in his endeavour to capture the attention of his followers, the veteran also often combines entertainment politics with bread and butter issues. He is the type of politician that calls a spade by its rightful name and abhors calling it a garden tool or by any euphemisms. He was in his element at a political rally in Bophirima ward recently rallying people in the area for the impending by-election billed for tomorrow. Mamela’s voice is purely trained for the freedom square politics where no one can ignore him. He keeps his listeners on their toes, generally crying out for some more of his messaging.
His weekend content diametrically betrayed the BCP leadership story the party sold recently at a party presser that it had no intentions of pulling out of the troubled tri-party Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) coalition.
The BCP is officially in a tri-party coalition with the Botswana National Front (BNF) and the Botswana Peoples Party (BPP). But, apparently, the party has just one foot in.
“Why should we pretend when things are not that rosy in the UDC?” thundered the veteran politician to deafening applause from the equally enthusiastic crowd.
In vernacular, he said: “...sekaku se a alahiwa...ga se bewe botsetse...”, this roughly translated means a problem has to be dealt with forthwith rather than procrastinating to find a solution. He was loud and clear that he wanted the BCP out of the UDC.
He added a few other lines in vernacular that probably depict the deeper thinking within the BCP, as Mamela is not your ordinary cadre. He is one of the 11 brave legislators that broke rank with the founding father of the BNF to form the BCP in 1998.
Other legislators that formed the BCP include Michael Dingake, Gilson Saleshando, Otlaadisa Koosaletse, Mokgweetsi Kgosipula, and Isaac Mabiletsa. The legislators also included Maitshwarelo Dabutha (late), Paul Rantao (late), Sidwell Gabatshwane (late), James Pilane (late), and Joseph Kavindama (late). Mamela would further choose to employ a Setswana phrase that is commonly used mainly by the youth ”...go ka nna se se nnang...” and this could mean they are ready for any eventuality as a party fed up with the goings-on in the UDC.
But, the Setswana phrase that sealed it all is when the highly spirited Mamela shouted “...mongwe le mongwe kwa ga mmaagwe...” and by this, he simply meant that all should return to their parties.
He explained that the BCP was ready to look for new friends. Pressed by time, he was quick to voice out that the BCP has a new friend in the Alliance for Progressives (AP).
He further hailed his party’s newfound friend in the president of the AP, Ndaba Gaolathe and his deputy, Wynter Mmolotsi as valuable partners in the new political journey.
He remarked: “Others have also found a new partner in Guma Moyo.”
He told the rally that as the BCP, they have always known that coalition politics was at some stage going to be problematic. The BCP’s ideal model of unity is a total merger.
“I must tell you that as the BCP, we have nursed these problems over a long period of time and now we find ourselves at the crossroads,” emphasised the Butale-born politician.
Even with Mamela having told the rally the truth that the party has been denying, the BCP spokesperson, Mpho Pheko still denies that the BCP has taken a position to exit the coalition.
To her, Mamela is just a cadre of the BCP and not in the party leadership and what he was saying remains his personal position and not necessarily the position of the party leadership.
“Remember, we said the party conference is coming in July and the answer will come from there. Otherwise, comrades are simply expressing their opinions,” Pheko told Mmegi this week.