When politicians pelt each with stones
Thalefang Charles | Friday July 21, 2017 15:39
Friday evening, July 14, Selebi-Phikwe
I am lying in bed at a small hotel 70km away from the action, scrolling through Facebook live videos gritting my teeth.
There is a talk that Ndaba Gaolathe camp at Bobonong Secondary School is threatening to go to Matshekge Secondary School, which is the official congress venue, to demand entry into it. This would be bad for us – Mmegi team.
I am contemplating a drive to Bobonong. Bobonong is fully booked and resting at Phikwe after a long drive through the busiest holiday traffic on A1 Road from Gaborone was a good idea but as long as there would not be any action tonight. Will we regret staying 70km away from congress venue? I slept very concerned.
Saturday, July 16 – drive to warzone
At 5am I make a wake up call to my colleagues, Onalenna Kelebeile and Chakalisa Dube. We should be on the road by 6am so that we get to Bobonong by 7am.
Everyone is on time and we hold our planning meeting while I am speeding to catch the planned meeting of Gaolathe faction at Bobonong School. A near miss accident with a cow on the road while I was busy watching the beautiful sunrise that was rising from the morning fog, giving a picturesque moment that I later had to stop and snap for few minutes, reminded me that we should be vigilante on this livestock infested road or else would not arrive alive.
7am – Bobonong
Secondary School – war plan
Gaolathe is having a meeting with his faction leaders while the supporters are inside the hall singing and chatting war cries. Journalists are allowed to come closer and listen in.
Gaolathe suggests that only few representatives should travel to Matshekge and request for entrance while the rest of the masses stay behind.
The suggestion is shot down as many speakers say everyone should go. A decision is made and Gaolathe addresses his followers. He however cautions against violence and pleads with the supporters that they must not engage in any violent activity. He announces that if they are barred from entering they should return in peace.
8am – Matshekge – the face-off
Mmegi team arrives before the Bobonong faction reaches Matshekge. Security is tight at the entrance. Barbed wire with men at the gate led by Freddy Ramodisa request to see our press cards and we oblige.
After securing our parking inside the school we dash into the hall, which was still empty with just chairs neatly arranged waiting for the congress to kick-off. Gaolathe supporters arrive in emphatic songs and big placards of him. The security guards take positions at the gate. A woman comes with more orange reflector vest to give out to some of the guards. There are few heavyset bouncers wearing black suits and ‘marocko’ in leader outfits with decorative chains. They do not seem to have weapons on them.
8:15am – First bout – without dogs
Gaolathe supporters make their approach to the gate. They are many and look menacing to the gatekeepers. Ramodisa barks out commands to his men to block the gate, but the crowd demand to be let in. There is some pushing. One man picks up a Stop-Sign pole that was lying next to the gate and pushes the barbed wire onto the guards. Commotion gets physical. There is more pushing. Some of the people outside shake the gate but it is too strong to fall. The first stone land on the metal gate rattling it loudly and starling everyone around the gate. It sounded like a gunshot. More stones rain down. Security runs away. Media takes cover. Cameras still shooting. This is what I came here for.
More stones from outside rain on the guards. They retreat. Some pick up the stones thrown from outside and pelt them back to the crowd outside. More stones have landed inside and now the rather clumsy guards have ammunition in form of the stones. Ramodisa calls out orders to attack with stones. “Where are the dogs?” one of the security men calls for dogs’ reinforcement. Seven dogs arrive; two Rottweilers, a small pit-bull, one German shepherd and three that looked like a mixed breed of German shepherd and Tswana breed.
The crowd outside makes a quick retreat. MP Pius Mokgware approaches daringly alone towards the menacing dogs - he looks like a general that he is. Fearlessly. There is an attempt to ‘talk’ with those manning the gate but nothing comes out of it as security commander Ramodisa is not up for talks. There is a pregnant standoff. Gaolathe calls his supporters and orders them to return to Bobonong to avoid bloodshed but some vow to defy him saying they want to take back their party.
8:40am – Second bout – dogs run away
Gaolathe supporters that defied their leader approach the gate again. They are holding stones and still calling out security to open the gate. Some security men are nervously holding stones but the crowd looks more determined this time. Before they know it, stones are flying in the air. Dogs try to run away but their handlers hold them tight. One dog manages to free and runs away, for good. More stones land on the gate. A pit-bull gets hit and breaks free, angrily from its handler and runs away too. One dog attempts to bite fellow security men, ‘le rocko’, and this throws confusion to other security men who are not holding dogs because they have to keep an eye on dogs to avoid ‘friendly bites’ from their allies dogs.
Other security men decide to flee further inside the school and Gaolathe supporters manage to conquer the gate for the first time. They have a serious cover from behind throwing stones nonstop. The security men have retreated deeper into the school. Gaolathe supporters look like they do not have the plan on what is their next move now that they have taken over the gate. The security men manage to regroup and counter attack with stones that were thrown inside.
8:50am – Enter riot police
The riot police who have camped at the nearby primary school finally arrive to diffuse the situation. The police heads are looking for faction leaders occupying Matshekge Secondary School. After a long impasse with police, the bouncers lead the police chiefs to Modubule and Mangole’s hiding spot inside teacher squatters. The media is barred from following them inside the meeting and they only emerge under heavy escort to the Bobonong police station and the media join the pursuit.
10:30am – Media gets bored at Police station
Both BMD faction leaders are in meeting with Deputy Divisional Commander North-Central, Tamapo Bonyongo Nthoiwa who later said he was not mediating but just provided the warring factions with a neutral venue to try and resolve their differences.
Media has been on the police lawn sharing narratives of how they dodged the stones and their analysis of the situation. The only action comes in form of two Toyota Fortuners carrying embattled BMD president Gaolathe. His bodyguards do not let him to leave the vehicle and bars the photographers to take shots of him. Police meeting is adjourned at 11:45am with another one scheduled for 2pm
11:45am – Pilane enters the building
Sydney Pilane arrives at Matshekge in a big white BMW car with two heavyset bodyguards in black suits and dark sunglasses. He pompously walks to the empty hall while fielding questions from the media. He confirms that he is indeed running for the BMD Presidency. The ‘delegates’ at Matshekge, who were far away from the violence at the gate, have been supplied with new orange BMD shirts and they look colourful. Most of them appeared confused as to why their supposedly fellow party members were fighting. Pilane calls them inside the hall for a short meeting before the sumptuous lunch where he also met with journalists for an impromptu press conference. After lunch Modubule delegates Pilane for a 2pm meeting at the police station. At the police station Pilane walks briskly and confident as ever through the corridors of the old buildings and I manage to shoot a picture, with a phone, as he quietly whistles past clutching a file, apparently carrying the BMD constitution on his left hand. The picture later becomes a subject of a trending social media challenge termed #pilanechallenge.