Opposition blames Dow, BDP for Kgafela�s woes
Lerato Maleke | Tuesday August 26, 2014 15:18
During the debates held at Molefi Senior Secondary School last week, opposition candidates used the platform to castigate the BDP government and in particular its Mochudi West candidate, Unity Dow.
Dow was Kgafela’s legal representative at the early stages of his appearances before the courts of the law, but pulled out of the case.
Isaac Davids, Umbrella of Democratic Change (UDC) candidate for Mochudi East, accused Dow of dumping Kgafela at his moment of need, “We strongly condemn her for conniving with the BDP to frustrate Kgafela.”
He added: “Kgafela was subjected to harassment because he was challenging the status quo. He saw corruption in this government and before he left he told us that when he comes back he should not find any Domkrag in Kgatleng and he has a right as the chief here.”
Davids said he found nothing wrong in using the bogosi issue to gain political mileage.
He said that Dow did not have a chance of winning the elections.
“As Bakgatla, we have resolved not to tolerate any BDP candidate and will not vote for them,” he said.
Kgafela wanted the constitution to be amended, Davids said, adding that the constitution gave the President too many powers.
Isaac Mabiletsa of the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) concurred with Davids, his rival for the Mochudi East constituency. He argued that Kgafela’s relocation was caused by the BDP’s attempts to frustrate him.
He said as Bakgatla they all loved Kgafela and his legitimacy and reign in both Moruleng and Mochudi could not be questioned, despite his losing the South African (SA) chieftainship case that made a bid to pronounce him Paramount Chief of Bakgatla in both Botswana and SA recently.
Mabiletsa said Dow’s credibility in handling Kgafela’s cases was in doubt.
UDC candidate for Mocudi West, Gilbert Mangole, also blamed Dow for Kgafela’s departure.
“Ware o laetse? O mmona kae? You dumped him,” said Mangole.
In her own defence, Dow argued the laws and policies that had been passed since 1966 reflected BDP’s policy on bogosi.
She said BDP took the position of bogosi as an important aspect of taking Botswana forward in preserving and strengthening values and ideals that “make us unique as a nation”.
She added that at the heart of those values was the institution of bogosi.
“Whenever there have been issues touching on traditional leadership of whatever nature anywhere in Botswana, the government has allowed the concerned tribe and Ba-bogosi to lead in resolving the issue. Government has stepped in when it was invited in to mediate and/or offer guidance,” she explained.
“My problem, as I see it in Mochudi, is that a group of truly concerned individuals have allowed a group of self-seeking politicians to highjack the issue and to use it for political gain,” she argued, adding the politicians had no intention of building any peace and thrived on creating problems, not resolving them.