Remembering the prophecy of prophet Ngombe

GREG KELEBONYE
Staff Writer | Tuesday March 23, 2010 00:00

He also prophesied that the man would cause great strife in the party. Yes, he also prophesied that the opposition - the Botswana National Front (BNF) would fare even worse than it was at that time. Is Ngombe's prophecy being fulfilled?

The year 2008 marked the 16th year from the time the oracle made these prophesies, and that is the time when Ian Khama became president of both the country and the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP). Hardly a year after assuming presidency of the BDP, the ruling party found itself embroiled in conflict. The result was the formation of two camps - the A-team, which enjoyed Khama's support and Barata-Phathi, led by former Presidential Affairs Minister and former party strongman, Daniel Kwelagobe - whose zeal for the Barata-Phathi faction has since gone cold. The A-team were seen as the power wielders within the party, while the Barata-Phathi shouted 'in defence of the party constitution'. Something had to be done. So Khama took away all powers from BDP chairman Kwelagobe. No party central committee meetings would be held without him. He needed to go for the kill. Then Gomolemo Motswaledi, duly elected Secretary General of the Party, and a Barata- Phathi prince, offered himself as a sacrificial lamb by publicly attacking party lawyers, who were engaged by Khama, for publishing a press statement without his knowledge. This was at the peak of inner BDP strife, when the Barata-Phathi contended that Khama did not have powers to unilaterally suspend party members. Khama suspended him initially for 60 days pending a disciplinary hearing, effectively killing his ambitions of standing for the Gaborone Central constituency in 2009, and then after the hearing he suspended him for five years, thus destroying completely his dream of standing for election anytime before 2013. Motswaledi would later fail in court to have Khama's decision reversed as both the High Court and the Court of Appeal ruled that the president was protected by the country's Constitution from any legal suit. Motswaledi's loss was certainly a Barata-Phathi loss as they were really the ones behind the suit. Following the court case they remained embittered especially that they still had to foot the bill for the case, said to be in the region of P1.2 million. Unlike their older colleagues in the Barata-Phathi, young members of the faction would not accept the status quo as they felt it encouraged tyranny. They believed that Khama had done both Motswaledi and the electorate a great disservice by denying him the right to stand for elections. So when nominations for Parliament were made,  Botsalo Ntuane, Kabo Morwaeng and Sidney Pilane must have joined the opposition and nominated Motswaledi. His name was not approved and the three were slapped with suspension letters in which they were accused of the serious crime of sedition. That should send a clear message to all BDP followers.

The suspensions happened at a time when the Barata-Phathi were still smarting from Khama's apparent disregard for advice from party elders such as former presidents Festus Mogae and Sir Ketumile Masire and former ministers Gaositwe Chiepe and Kebatlamang Morake, who met with him more than once to have him reconsider his stance as it threatened inner party peace and stability. The Barata-Phathi know miracles don't happen where Khama is concerned. These three political lives are at stake - as are those of all other Barata-Phathi. There is no doubt the purging will continue until Khama has removed all the dissenting voices. The faction has no future in the BDP.

With Khama intent on purging the BDP of Barata-Phathi and increasingly and arbitrarily making decisions on issues of national importance, the faction decided to meet over the weekend. So all structures of the Barata-Phathi from across the country gathered at the Big Five Lodge in Mogoditshane against Khama's authority, to, as it turned out, form a new party.

This will become one of the cruellest ironies for the BDP. In 1997 Professor Scheller recommended in his report, Present Realities and Strategies for the Future that the BDP needed to reinvigorate itself if it were to survive. The party needed somebody with 'sufficient dynamism' to drive this process. Ian Khama, son to legendary Seretse Khama, first president of the Republic of Botswana, first leader of the Botswana Democratic Party and king of the Bangwato, was the obvious choice. This was a man who undoubtedly would bring unity and cohesion to the party it was whispered in hushed tones: You cannot talk evil of the dead or displease them, especially this country's beloved Seretse. Surely therefore, Seretse Khama's son would help unite the party. Wielding immense power as commander of the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) and believed by some to have supernatural powers - stories are told of how he would stealthily creep upon Ian Smith's Rhodesian army and single-handedly kill hundreds of soldiers - like the biblical Samson or David) he had the respect of the people. Clearly out of arrangement, he retired from the army and joined the BDP as Vice President.

So true to the BDP refrain 'Ya rona le bana ba rona' Ian Khama came in to one day stand at the podium whence his father once stood, to sit in the chair once occupied by his father and to be master of the State House that his father was once master over. More importantly he would ensure a more united party 'go ya go ileng', that is for ever and ever. That though was never to be.

Khama became the very opposite of what he was brought into the party to do and has achieved the very opposite.The BDP's history has become a tragic event where a son destroys what his father built. So Khama has finally managed to achieve what no person in his position achieved before - get the BDP to split.

The split promises to present the country with an unprecedented legal problem; crossing the floor with one's seat is allowed by law, despite the fact that the opposition has on numerous occasions campaigned for the system to be banned. The chickens might be coming home to roost for the BDP. It is not easy to say how many members Barata-Phathi have in Parliament as many are said to be quiet, working behind the scenes. Reports though peg the number at as high as 20. Are we likely to see, say half of the Members of Parliament (MPs)crossing over with their seats? Once in the majority, they can declare a motion of no confidence in the President, forcing him to resign or dissolve Parliament. The stakes would be even higher if the Barata-Phathi decided to coalesce with the opposition. At their meeting in Mogoditshane they did not rule out this possibility. The split will rock the BDP to its very foundations. As many members will be flocking to the new Party, there will be those who may decide to join the opposition. There is no doubt the opposition Botswana Congress Party (BCP) will enhance its gains as it harvests from the BDP field of disgruntled members. Perhaps this time around a hitherto wilting Botswana National Front (BNF) will also wake up from its stupor and glean some of the leftovers. The next general election could become a very interesting affair indeed. But then again Ngombe also prophesied that the BDP would remain in power for the next 100 years. Will the oracle's proclamation hold?