BDP Office �An eyesore�
Staff Writer | Monday April 10, 2017 18:00
The building, one of the properties that are owned by the ruling party, was used as an office in the past, but for the past few years, it has been abandoned, such that now it houses bats, human faeces and rags. The gigantic red “Jack” at the entrance, similar to the one at Tsholetsa House, and the red and black colours of the building, are a stark reminder of who is the owner of the derelict building.
The building, located at the light industrial site, a stone throw away from the Botswana Railways pedestrian footbridge, is overgrown with all sorts of vegetation, from grass to tall trees obscuring hundreds of people going to work everyday in the mornings.
Apparently, the BDP occupied the place those long years back for strategic purposes as it appeared the area used to be a hive of activities.
This is where the BDP successfully plotted the downfall of the opposition over the years. One will only discover that the building belongs to the BDP by the words “Botswana Democratic Party” and a red jack emblazoned in front of the building.
Instead of politicians in red continung to plot the downfall of their opponents, some members of the public have come up with some use for the place.
A woman whose baby needs nappy chance goes behind the building where she dumps soiled nappies on the ground, oblivious to basic rules of cleanliness.
The woman also lowers her dress to relieve herself and then leaves the building to continue with her journey without batting an eyelid. A few minutes later, a man in his 20s goes to the back of the building. He urinates on the building’s ‘walls of power’ unconcerned that what he was doing was illegal and attracted legal sanctions.
As if that was not enough, the man reaches for something in his pocket and within a moment, he finishes rolling his dagga and then happily begins puffs, red eyes darting hither and thither. A street vendor who sells her wares near the BDP premises arrives in the morning and then cleans her small operational space.
After she finished cleaning her ‘business premises’, she takes the litter and then dumps it on the heap of trash that is stacked up at one corner of the premises. The amount of litter at the heap clearly shows that the vendor is not the only one using the BDP premises as a dumping site.
One has to be very careful when walking behind the BDP building. Those who are not extra careful have a very high chance of stepping on fresh or dry faeces that are spread all over the ground. Inside the building, one can see old clothing materials and card boxes. Some people may be using the building to hide their loot while others may be using it for sleeping.
The BDP Francistown region chairman Baemedi Medupi confirmed that the building and premises are an eyesore. He said he recently passed by the building and was not pleased by what he saw.
“I have recently assumed the leadership of the region and acknowledge that the building and the premises are not in a good condition,” he said.