DK: The last man standing
Ryder Gabathuse | Friday August 15, 2014 15:21
“When my parents worked in South Africa my father, Kgosithebe Rapasela Kwelagobe was a South African Communist Party (SACP) activist whilst my mother, Tlhokomelang Antoinette Kwelagobe was an African National Congress activist (ANC),” states Molepolole South MP Daniel Kwelagobe, the longest serving legislator in the current parliament that dissolves on August 29.
His influence to join politics and in particular the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) that he served selflessly since 1962 came from his parents.
He acknowledges that it was politicians amongst others, the late Englishman Kgabo, whom he lists as one of his mentors, who encouraged him to join the BDP.
“After relocating to Molepolole from South Africa, my parents settled for the BDP as their new political home leaving me with no choice but to join the BDP as well,” he reminisces with no regret.
His parents chose to be active politically across the border because the BDP was not yet born at the time.
He declares with pride that in his case, politics is in his blood as he inherited it from his parents.
It was influence from the neighbouring South Africa that inspired his (parents) interest into politics oblivious that their son, DK will one day take the cue from where they had left, for the rest of his life.
Whilst his peers chose lucrative careers like reading for law, medicine, accounting, teaching and others, Kwelagobe settled for politics as his first choice career.
But he knew about the risks of politics as people you look up to, to vote for you, may in fact; vote one out when least expected. He took the risk and it worked for him.
His parents were active politicians long before the BDP was even formed. The main person who however, won Kwelagobe to finally join the BDP was one Samson Gower, who would later join the opposition Botswana National Front (BNF) for reasons best known to him.
Kwelagobe, who grew up wearing a black beret Che Guevara-style like the Marxist-Leninist revolutionary, in all his political appearances, said this week, his attire had nothing to do with that.
“That beret had nothing to do with Marxist-Leninist revolutionary. It was simply part of my political attire and it did not symbolise any radicalism or militancy as some people always thought,” he explains.
Even his thick bearded visage, which bore the hallmark of a communist, raised eyebrows in some quarters. It is apparent his communist father had a lot of influence in the life of the young Kwelagobe, although the younger Kwelagobe had now joined the BDP with its capitalist tendencies.
Kwelagobe entered parliament buildings for the first time in 1969 as an MP and it has been non-stop for the politician who celebrates his 71st birthday next September.
But today, septuagenarian Kwelagobe has shed off his old image-no black beret as he is clean-shaven most of the time.
Molepolole South constituency will tomorrow launch Kwelagobe as a parliamentary candidate after winning the primaries against his challenger, Shima Monageng.
If he wins this year’s general elections, he will still be the oldest and most experienced member of the House.
He has been the Minister of Presidential Affairs on two occasions. He also held ministerial portfolios of Commerce and Industry, agriculture, local government, works and communications amongst others.
In fact, he has served at almost every ministry.
He is basically the party’s institutional memory as the longest serving MP. He has seen it all in the BDP having served under four state presidents-the late Sir Seretse Khama, retired Sir Ketumile Masire and Festus Mogae and currently under President Ian Khama.
In terms of how the government is run, he has a wealth of experience. He literally holds the records of the longest serving party secretary general in the BDP, for 27 years. He also holds an unbeaten record as an MP for 45 solid years.
His principal, Khama found him in the party as an MP when he retired from the army a few years ago. He is likely to leave him as a serving MP when he completes his term. Retiring Vice President Ponatshego Kedikilwe found DK an active politician and he is leaving him an MP.
Politicians like former vice president, Mompati Merafhe came and left because they joined politics already in the afternoons of their lives.
In 2009, Kwelagobe suffered the embarrassment of having to be dropped from cabinet after he had opted to become the party chairman instead of cabinet position. Khama replaced him with Dr. Margaret Nasha as the Minister of Presidential Affairs and Public Administration.
Khama had earlier informed his MPs to choose between party position and cabinet appointment. He had literally given them a week to respond to the ultimatum.
Kwelagobe took the liberty to politicise Khama’s decision and turned the whole affair into a freedom square debate proclaiming that if he had his way he would opt to become the party chairman than cabinet position. This might have angered Khama, who acted there and then.
This happened at a time when DK and his Barata-Phathi faction had vowed to defend the party constitution, as they strongly believed Khama acted impulsively.
When the BDP suffered a major split that saw the formation of the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD) in 2010, there were fears that DK was going to join the departing masses, but he chose to remain in the BDP.
In the eyes of many, that makes Kwelagobe the last man standing when everybody else has come and left for various reasons.
Since he joined the BDP politics as a young man of 26, unlike majority of people who chose to retire from other professions into politics, DK stayed even longer because he had age on his side.
When popular politicians like Dr. Gaositwe Chiepe, Archibald Mogwe, Kebatlamang Morake long retired from politics because of either losing the elections or age, DK is still raring to go.
When quizzed this week if he is standing for the last time, Kwelagobe preferred to leave that to the future.
“I will comment at the right time and definitely that is not now,” he says, preferring to remain non-committal lest he gets punished if he still harbours interest to stand again in 2019 once he declares against today.
One of the people behind the weekend launch is the constituency chairman and member of the Political Education and Elections Committee (PEEC) Kabo Morwaeng, who is also tipped to take over from Kwelagobe when he finally retires from active politics.
He was elated that all roads tomorrow lead to Molepolole where BDP diehards would want to hear the voice of DK. Kwelagobe faces a challenge from Dr Tlamelo Mmati of the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC).
Morwaeng apparently benefitted from a scholarship to read for political science and pubic administration at the University of Roma in Lesotho assisted by Kwelagobe.
Upon his return from his studies, Morwaeng was appointed the political officer at Tsholetsa House, the party’s headquarters.
He says about Kwelagobe: “We still have trust in him and we respect him as a father and when he stands to speak, he does so in the language that we all understand.”
He adds that people have confidence in Kwelagobe who has been their MP for over four decades.
The massive rally will be held at Lewis Memorial School grounds just opposite Kgari Sechele Senior Secondary School.
Former president Festus Mogae will be the guest speaker. Mogae and Kwelagobe used to lead two opposing factions of the BDP. Kwelagobe who led the Barata-Phathi was also the BDP secretary general. Mogae led the A-team faction, which enjoyed control of both the party and government. DK led young Turks who fought for both inclusion in the party leadership and government.
So, the gesture of bringing Mogae as the guest speaker is generally to suggest that the party has successfully disbanded factions. They want to create an impression that the BDP has achieved total peace and reconciliation, after past stormy dealings. President Khama has been battling to achieve elusive peace in the BDP.
Although he will not be given a chance to speak, another former president, Sir Ketumile Masire has reportedly confirmed that he would attend the weekend launch. Several retired politicians also have confirmed to grace the launch.
Definitely, after his absence from political rallies, people would like to hear what statesman Mogae has in store for them and he might play a positive role in attracting good attendance.
Asked if he has really achieved what he wanted out of politics, Kwelagobe does not hesitate and answered in the affirmative.
“In the party, you don’t do as an individual, you work as a collective with the rest of the team players,” he declares philosophically.
He says people voted for him over several parliaments, which he says is a sign that people had confidence in him.
“I have also served this nation at different levels and wholeheartedly and it was my choice to serve them as recognition for their votes,” he says.
When he joined politics, DK was a young man without a wife and children.
“I was a young man who was only driven by the urge to change lives of many people especially those that were disadvantaged by many factors of life,” he remembers his youthful days with nostalgia.
DK is a family man married to Queen Kwelagobe, MP Phillip Makgalemele’s sister. He has three children Itseng (male), Opelo (female) and Kagiso (male).