#IShallNotForget

Dithapelo Keorapetse | Friday May 13, 2016 17:17

The pregnancy sparked an uproar and condemnation from civil society groups, including the newly formed movement of Women and Men Against Sexual Abuse of Children with its # I shall not forget, Botswana Network on Ethics Law and HIV/AIDS, Women Groups, opposition political parties, the media, opinion leaders and individual citizens among others. Whilst the nation was still reeling from the shock of a pregnant teenager allegedly defiled by a local civic leader, a Facebook conversation said to be between the area Member of Parliament (MP) and the the councillor emerged on Facebook. In the alleged conversation, the MP is implicated in a very serious manner that borders on criminality and unethical conduct. Both men deny the conversation and dismiss it as fake and a conspiracy orchestrated to tarnish them by political opponents.

The ruling party has been mum about the issue until recently when it held a press conference. They condemned their councillor. There are so many unanswered questions about the Sebina saga.

What is the exact age of the pregnant child? Was she defiled? When did the sexual relationship start? Are the police really investigating the case and since when? Is the area MP involved in anyway in this matter and is the conversation between him and the alleged perpetrator authentic? Why is the leaked conversation making so much sense that it fits very well with the whole saga? Will the violated child and family get justice? What is the ruling party doing about its councillor apart from condemning him and why has it been mum all this time? Where has the Ministry of Education and Skills Development been since the issue erupted? Where is the real presidency?

What is clear though is that a child has been violated. In terms of the law, a child is anyone below the age of 18, this is also an international definition. However, according to Botswana’s Penal Code, anyone above 16 years can consent to sex. Defenders of the councillor contend that the girl is 16 and no defilement has been committed. Others demand to know the exact age and months of the pregnancy to establish when the pregnancy occurred, whether it was when the girl was below 16 or after. There are further allegations of the councillor’s transgressions and some say a pattern can be established. These and the material issue can be investigated by the police. However, the ‘conversation’ and how the police have responded since the issue, raises doubts on police credibility to investigate the case without fear or favour and the line ‘mapodise ke batho ba rona’ (police are our people) becomes compellingly believable.

Those who are pressing for justice to prevail shouldn’t relent. The Ministry of Education,particularly the Minister has been a great disappointment in this whole thing, it was not until recently that she released a statement. Her statement in the form of a letter to the councillor is rather too little too late. Where has she been for all these days? Her actions are like those of the BDP. The ruling party thought and wished the matter would fizzle away. The press conference was due to public pressure and was a desperate attempt to save face.

Political parties, like some big organisations must develop codes of conduct for party officials including party in public office, party bureaucrats and party leaders in committees. Parties play a critical role in the country’s democracy and they should be seen to be promoting the rule of law, peace, unity, transparency and accountability. Most local parties have constitutions and other rules and regulations. For instance parties have rules governing intra-party elections for committees, rules for primary elections and others. However, in most cases parties don’t have ethical codes of conduct on the behaviour of their members. It may be that a councillor who impregnates a 16 year old hasn’t violated any party ethical code of conduct. Apart from bringing the party’s name into disrepute, it may be difficult to deal with a councillor who violates a child or an MP who conspires to commit a crime and or unethical conduct.

It may be difficult for parties with no codes of ethics to deal with members who engage in felonies and misdemeanours such as racism, tribalism, sexism/chauvinism, corruption, sexual abuses of women and children and violation of national laws.

Parties should be able to discipline their members for these, including suspensions and expulsions and even recalls. The BDP ought to have suspended the councillor pending investigations and if it is established that he destroyed the child’s future be asked to resign, if he refuses because he was elected under First-Past-the-Post system, he can be expelled so that he is on his own.

This way it would be very clear that the party abhors his conduct, condemnation is nothing, anybody can condemn him. Failure to suspend the councillor by the ruling party presupposes condonation of his actions, it obscures their purported condemnation of his actions.

Without appropriate and stern action against the councillor, the BDP must just shut up. It is complicit in this unethical and possibly criminal behaviour.

The BDP should also be saying that there’s an investigation on the involvement or otherwise of the area MP not just by the police but by the party itself. The ruling party through its Deputy Secretary General who is also a Minister and an MP and the Minister of Education and Skills Development reminds us that over 400 teenagers have dropped out of school in the last 12 months because of pregnancy and that there are many culprits of teenage pregnancies out there.

As the government, they’re not saying what they’ve done to ensure justice for those who may have been defiled or violated. They remind us that the Sebina councillor is not the only culprit. What did they do with or to other culprits? They have state apparatuses at their disposal and the question is what did they do. The Sebina young girl must see justice. All peace loving and caring citizens must join the chorus of calls for the councillor to resign or alternatively for the ruling party to recall him and or suspend him.

The police must hold a press conference and field media questions on the issue and update the public on what they’ve done so far. We always see and hear that from the police here and elsewhere. What can be difficult about this case? A scan will show the exact time of the pregnancy in terms of weeks and days, the birth certificate or Omang show the years and months of the girl and a simple maths can show how old she was when she fell pregnant. All this can be done in a matter of hours. Defilement or not can be established. If it’s not defilement then it’s a serious unethical and immoral conduct which the councillor must account and provide answers to questions raised.

The Presidency, Ministry of Education, the BDP and the police have taken this matter for granted and should be condemned in the strongest possible terms. What they’ve said and done thus far is embarrassing and depicts their lackadaisical attitude towards children’s rights and unethical conduct of politicians. As for the Assistant Minister implicated in the matter the more he tries to exonerate himself the more he raises suspicions about his involvement. #NoOneShouldForget.