UDC engages satellite image experts over Motswaledi�s death
Onalenna Kelebeile | Tuesday November 11, 2014 16:32
Speaking at a rally on Saturday, the Francistown South MP Wynter Mmolotsi said that nobody should pressurise them to release the report of initial investigations into Motswaledi’s death.
“Our investigations on Motswaledi’s death are still ongoing and we will release the report at our own convenient time. It’s a pity that even the former vice president Ponatshego Kedikilwe is demanding the report,” he said.
He said Kedikilwe in particular and government should be the last ones to seek the report considering it took government forever to release investigations into Segametsi Mogomotsi’s death. Furthermore, said the MP, the government has failed to produce the report on the death of Italy Setlampoloka.
Mogomotsi, a Radikolo Junior Secondary School student was murdered, for apparent ritual purposes 20 years ago.
Despite engaging Britain’s Scotland Yard, government has to date failed to avail the report of her death. Setlampoloka is believed to have been murdered by some six police officers who allegedly made the murder appear like suicide, by hanging his body on a tree near Gabane village.
Mmolotsi stated his party’s position was that Motswaledi was murdered.
Mmolotsi told the rally that BDP infighting had now brought Parliament to a standstill as the party was trying to undo its confusion in court. He added that members of the opposition in Parliament found themselves as victims of circumstances. He said the chief reason was that President Ian Khama did not want Margaret Nasha as Speaker of the National Assembly just because she wanted independence of Parliament while the President wanted Parliament to fall under his control.
Mmolotsi said Nasha had refused to commit in writing that voting of the Speaker and the VP should be done by raising of hands hence the legal route that is burning the taxpayer’s money. He further said there were two factions in Parliament among the ruling party MPs. One side of the BDP faction wanted MP Nonofo Molefhi to become the Vice President while the other wanted Tshekedi Khama.
“Rona ba kganetso re tsentswe mo dintweng tsa bana ba mpa (As the opposition we are merely victims of circumstances in this internal fight,)” he said. Mmolotsi feared that since the BDP had filed an appeal, the initial ruling was likely to be overturned, “if a certain judge becomes part of the panel.”
He said it was the first time in the history of the country that Parliament business failed to resume. This had turned Botswana into a laughing stock of the international community. He noted that as a result of the impasse submission of supplementary budgets had not been done, impacting negatively on the developments.
Mmolotsi also called for opposition unity to unseat the ruling party and said no opposition party working in isolation could achieve this. He expressed regret at the ant-unity stance taken by the Botswana Congress Party (BCP), which they had been hoping to engage following the general elections.
He said the situation in Parliament might result in fresh elections being called if 30 days elapsed before National Assembly business resumed. As such, the BCP needed to treat unity with the seriousness it deserved to deny the BDP a win in that eventuality.