Has Tshekedi Khama lost interest in Parliament?

LEKOPANYE MOOKETSI
Correspondent | Friday February 27, 2009 00:00

 

Maybe he finds parliamentary debates boring or not up to standard. He does not attend parliamentary sessions regularly. He has not said much about his constituency since he came to Parliament.  Besides being an MP, Khama is a prominent businessman who owns a number of businesses with his twin brother Anthony.

One Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) MP, said when they miss parliamentary sessions, they are taken to task by the party leadership but he does not know if  Khama is ever reprimanded.   

Khama became the MP for Serowe North West following a by-election to replace his elder brother, President Ian Khama.

The younger Khama was not challenged in the BDP primary elections and he beat his opposition opponent with a huge margin in the by-election. He is still assured of a safe passage in the forthcoming general elections as his constituency is one of the BDP's strongholds.  His name carries clout in Serowe and his royal ties means a lot to the Bangwato. 

When BDP activist, Gomolemo Motswaledi indicated that he wanted to contest primary elections against Khama, he was persuaded to try his luck somewhere else. He shifted to Gaborone Central where he has become the BDP candidate.

Some years ago when Ian Khama was the MP for Serowe, he told constituents that his younger brother was going to take over from him when he moves to State House.  When people cried foul, nominated MP Botsalo Ntuane, who was by that the BDP executive secretary, said then then Vice-President was joking.

When he was an MP, Ian Khama did not participate in parliamentary debates and did not attend sittings regularly. Tshekedi Khama has declined to be interviewed on his parliamentary work.