When political opportunities flee, vultures flee, loyalists rise
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Monday March 9, 2026 09:48
The recent Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) retreat in Palapye offered a vivid illustration of this political law. At a time when the party is no longer operating from a position of dominance, the atmosphere was not one of triumph but survival. And as the environment shifts, so too do political allegiances. When a party is in power, it often draws what many quietly describe as political vultures, individuals attracted not by ideology or principle, but by access, influence and opportunity. They circle where power resides. They perch where resources flow. But when the political climate changes and the once-mighty show signs of vulnerability, these same figures are usually the first to take flight. The Botswana National Front (BNF), has a few lessons to share. The now a partner-in-power, endured long life in opposition with limited parliamentary representation. With few Members of Parliament and internal disputes threatening cohesion, many believed the party was politically finished. During the leadership of former president Otsweletse Moupo, the BNF confronted both personal controversies and internal rebellion.
Some members openly criticised him. Others walked away entirely. The party looked fragile. Yet in that fragile moment, a different group emerged, the true believers. Party elders, long-time activists and ideological purists stood firm. They did not leave in search of greener pastures. Instead, they defended the party’s structures and fought to preserve its identity.
Years later, similar tensions surfaced under the current president, Duma Boko, amid central committee disputes. Again, predictions of collapse surfaced. Again, loyal members rallied. The party did not dissolve. It endured. That endurance laid the foundation for what later became the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), an opposition coalition in which the BNF is an affiliate. Ironically, some of those now firmly positioned within the UDC orbit were once aligned elsewhere when circumstances were more comfortable.
The BDP’s current moment mirrors that earlier BNF experience, though from the opposite side of the political spectrum. For decades, the BDP governed from a position of strength. During those years, it attracted a wide range of members, supporters and beneficiaries. Power created gravitational pull. However, as political fortunes shifted, so did certain loyalties. The Palapye retreat was telling. Core members arrived in significant numbers, including elders, former ministers and long-serving activists clad in party regalia. Their presence was not about spectacle. It was about preservation.
While some younger members treated the event as a chance to reconnect socially, senior figures approached it with urgency. For them, this was a moment of reckoning. Men and women deeply familiar with the party constitution stood to scrutinise it. They debated its interpretation without fear or favour. They questioned decisions. Some even challenged the legitimacy of the retreat itself. Yet these debates did not signal abandonment. They reflected ownership. Those who remain are invested enough to argue.
On the other hand, those who once thrived within the BDP during its dominant years have since repositioned themselves within the UDC space, a coalition that now benefits from shifting political winds.
When addressing members over the weekend, BDP president Mpho Balopi said membership of the BDP is a heavy responsibility demanding selflessness and sacrifice for the collective good. 'Thankfully, figures like Sir Seretse Khama and Sir Ketumile Masire demonstrated that carrying this burden is achievable. They accomplished it in the 1960s under vastly different circumstances, so we can succeed now under much better circumstances than theirs. Furthermore, remember that Party membership is voluntary.”
“Those who join accept this responsibility of embarking on a democratic journey guided by our shared values. Once a member, they carry the weight of the Party and must handle it with care.” He reminded them that in the past they likened Domkrag to Kgomo ya Motswana.
“Kgomo, a cow, is a precious possession to all of us, and so is the BDP. The BDP is yours, and you must own it. No cattle owner (party member) must be invited or reminded to take care of their own kraal (the party),” Balopi stated. Therefore, he said the BDP is theirs, and each one of them must own it.
He emphasised that in their cells, wards, branches and regions, they must take ownership of the party. “Like your kraal and the cattle in it, you do not need an invitation to exercise the care that you know your cattle deserve. Domkrag, ke Kgomo ya gago, e tlhokomele,” he said.
He said with the BDP now out of State power, the cow that kept many Botswana households going has gone astray. “There is no more milk, and no more offspring. Many have lost hope in the promises of a paradise that they voted for. Many Batswana are dejected because the cow that sustained them is no longer able to. The state of our country now is a testament to the fact that we were, and still are, what most of Batswana need,” he said.
With that, Balopi encouraged them to work together in unity to bear the responsibility to bring this cow back to its best. “Fa re ka dira jalo, Batswana ba ka itumela ka gore ba ka nna le tsholofelo ya gore ba tlaa gama Kgomo ya bone gape,” he stated.