BDP turns into apology machine
Spira Tlhankane | Monday January 19, 2026 09:29
Since losing power in the 2024 General Election, where it was reduced to a rump in Parliament after 58 years of uninterrupted rule, the BDP has struggled to redefine itself in opposition.
Instead of shaping the political narrative, it has spent much of 2025 and early 2026 compounding its woes with a string of high-profile apologies, each underscoring a larger identity crisis within the once mighty ‘Mmadiparty’.
The apology cascade pattern began in the wake of the party’s dramatic electoral collapse. In July 2025, the BDP issued a public apology to former First Lady Neo Masisi, after party president Mpho Balopi noticeably failed to acknowledge her at a State memorial service for the late Minister Micus Chimbombi. The omission and the delayed apology immediately sparked criticism that the BDP was out of touch not just politically, but socially and culturally.
Then in August 2025, the party launched what was arguably its most consequential apology yet, and this was a formal and highly publicised apology to former president and Bangwato Kgosi Ian Khama and the Bagammangwato tribe. The BDP travelled to Serowe, admitting it had erred in its past conduct, including denying the use of the kgotla in Bangwato deliberations, a flashpoint in the long-running rift with Khama and former President Mokgweetsi Masisi. That apology did not land smoothly, but it split opinion within the Bangwato, with some rejecting it outright and others calling for deeper accountability.
The apology also triggered a political firestorm far beyond Serow,e where critics within and outside the party accused the BDP of bowing to pressure only after losing power and of attempting to mend fences too little, too late. Some factional voices went as far as to demand resignations and deeper reckonings. The Khama episode was not an isolated gesture, but part of a broader reckoning by the new BDP leadership led by Balopi. After the humiliating loss at the polls in 2024, the party embarked on what it called a peace and reconciliation strategy, revisiting past grievances, rescinding membership terminations (including that of Khama himself later in 2025).
The party also attempted to knit back fractured relationships within its ranks and with former allies, notably former Lobatse legislator Thapelo Matsheka and Balete Kgosikgolo Mosadi Seboko. Commentators opine that the Khama apology was less a show of strength than a symbol of desperation by a party trying to reclaim relevance in places where its base has bled away.
This narrative has played out again and again, and this week, BDP issued yet another apology after one of their members said some tribalistic remarks during a rally. “The BDP deeply regrets the unfortunate tribalistic statement made by one of the speakers at the rally organized by the Gaborone Region this afternoon. The BDP assures the nation that the utterances do not in any way reflect the attitude of the Party. The utterances go against our stance against prejudice against any one of our people. The concerned member has expressed regret over the utterances and apologized. In the same vein, we hereby offer our unreserved apology to Motsamai Motsamai, morafe wa Basarwa and the entire country. We wish to assure the public that appropriate action will be taken against the member,” BDP said in a statement after public backlash.
These public statements expressing ‘deep regret’ over issues both major and minor are becoming frequent. These moves, according to observers, have laid bare a deeper strategic void. Once a confident governing party able to set Botswana’s political agenda, the BDP now reacts to controversies with apologies that read like damage control. With the party forced into apology after apology, the BDP’s image is fractured, and its public persona has been seized upon by political rivals as a sign of weakness and incoherence. Critics argue that instead of reaffirming its principles, the BDP has instead become the “Apology Party”, more comfortable saying sorry than articulating a bold vision for Botswana’s future.
“The consequences of this identity shift are political as well as psychological. Apologies have become political spectacles, often opening old wounds rather than healing them. In Serowe, the BDP’s bid for forgiveness only fuelled debates about past injustices, accountability, and the limits of political contrition, with some communities insisting that only genuine restitution, not contrived apologies, could mend trust,” an observer told this publication after the bus rank blunder.
Critics further argue that the BDP’s string of apologies is symptomatic of its larger struggle to find a new relevance outside government. With the BDP now relegated to a minor force in Parliament, commentators feel that its leaders face a stark choice. “They can continue to pursue reconciliation and apologies as core political tools, risking further denting the party’s brand or pivot toward a more assertive, policy-driven opposition that appeals to voters’ aspirations rather than their grievances”. At the moment, the BDP’s narrative remains haunted by its past and the long catalogue of apologies it has issued since losing power. Whether that history will help the party rebuild or continue to erode its relevance is one of Botswana’s defining political questions in 2026 and beyond.