It breaks my heart to challenge Reatile – Ookeditse
Spira Tlhankane | Monday October 27, 2025 12:10
Speaking during a press briefing where he launched his bid for presidency, the Nata-Gweta legislator said his preference has always been not to challenge someone he has stood with and worked with on so many occasions. “Matters have come to a point where we firmly believe that we need a strategic refocus for the state that the party needs to survive. I have decided to run against a person that I deeply respect,” he said.
He reassured members that no matter what happens in the upcoming elective congress on November 1 in Serowe Reatile will have their respect. Ookeditse said if they win, Reatile is a person they will continue to engage to move the party forward together.
“In the event we are not successful in our bid for presidency, I will continue to serve and be available for the BPF I will give Reatile the same support I have given him over the years”. He said even though he has disagreed with Reatile on some decisions, he will continue to be a loyal follower and support the BPF's growth.
Ookeditse also said he is not interested in the politics of division, political slander, and propaganda where they try to win at all costs. “I don’t think winning is everything. For the future growth and development of our party and its unity, progress, and ultimate victory, we need to make these decisions. I am a fiercely loyal person and in the past years I have worked with the President of the party Reatile, whom I deeply respect. We have been holding consultations with members, Batswana, and the former party patron, Ian Khama, to let our people know that it is time that we take a different course as a party. It is time that we become strategic in our political approach no wonder,” Ookeditse said this week as he presented his lobby team.
Ookeditse, who used to serve as party spokesperson before becoming SG, added that he is running for presidency this time around because he has spent the last couple of years in the BPF, and it is a party that he has given everything to.
“I literally lost a job because of my association with the party. During the years of madness, we slept in cells and got auctioned, not that we are reckless, but because we fought for the movement.” He said having fought for the BPF in the past, they have realised that the political landscape has changed, especially with the change of government. Ookeditse, who beat Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) candidate Polson Majaga almost a year ago for the Nata-Gweta seat, said one thing that has not changed is the BPF, and its survival will depend on the decisions they make as leadership.
Sharing their vision, Ookeditse said, with the former ruling party, BDP, gone and their ‘friends’ UDC in power, they cannot continue with business as usual. “The political landscape has changed, and it necessitates a strategic redirection of the BPF.”
Ookeditse said the redirection of the BPF will continue as it is and that the party will increase its activities countrywide and identify poles of growth. He added that they will focus on areas where they see potential and growth. He said he is not talking about the central district, which is the party’s stronghold.
Ookeditse indicated that for now, they have to grow out of the central district and look towards these other poles of growth. “After we win, we will have presence in these areas, and it will entail not just presence but also a much focused recruitment strategy that is geared towards bringing people to the party,” he said.
He admitted that the poles of growth they have identified might not have proper structures, but as they move forward, the intensity will be visible. “We are going to be very intentional in strengthening our administrative capacity as a party”.
The Nata-Gweta Member of Parliament (MP) said that because of the chaos the BPF experienced since 2021 until the elections, they were met with hostility and could not campaign freely or establish offices. Ookeditse said that because things have changed, the BPF will now have a permanent home. He said SG aspirant Dr Kolaatamo Malefho will head the office, which will have a vehicle and a secretariat that goes to work every day.
“We are making these moves because the party must survive. The BPF must not only survive, but we are building a party headed towards victory,” he said. Ookeditse, who is an assistant minister of health under the UDC government, said they aim for victory in the first few years with like-minded parties. He said ultimately they want the BPF to be big enough to win power on its own.
“As part of our strategic redirection, the next four years will be marked by a strong BPF that is growing. This party will not be in isolation; it will grow alongside like-minded allies,” he said. Ookeditse dismissed allegations that they intend to dissolve the BPF and let it be swallowed by the UDC. He said it should be clear to their members and prospective supporters that they will grow the party and will not take it apart. “That is not happening under our watch. I get in trouble because of what I say sometimes, that is so because I am not a coward, I am never afraid to say what I believe in,” he emphasised. Ookeditse said the BPF brand will grow in the next five years, with them being friendly to other parties.
He said the BPF alone will not take over power in 2029. Ookeditse disclosed that, as SG, he did not agree with the decision of the BPF to quit the UDC just before last year’s General Election. Ookeditse said even though he disagreed, he didn’t quit the party. “I believe in unity and cooperation,” he said.
Ookeditse said Khama’s decision to quit politics and join the bogosi has affected the party; it’s up to the members to help fill that gap. He said his intention is for the party to have peace and unity. He said the team he has chosen is not a team of friends but people who want to see the BPF grow.