Merafhe: A self-made man

SIKI MOTSHWARI JOHANNES
Correspondent | Friday July 20, 2012 00:00

But as fate would have it, the security dictates of the times left Seretse with no choice but to succumb to the idea of an army formation. The honour and responsibility of creating the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) in 1977 fell on Merafhe's shoulders.

The then young rising star in the police service, whose hard work and sheer brilliance had seen him catapulted from an ordinary rank to a deputy police commissioner. Unlike his counterparts elsewhere in Africa, Merafhe found himself in the unique position of starting an army from scratch, having inherited no military hardware from the British. The worsening security situation in the northern part of the country caused by trigger-happy Rhodesian forces posed an immediate challenge to the leadership of Merafhe and his infant army.  Merafhe daringly accepted the new army assignment, forgoing the comfort zone of working in a well-established police unit, fully alive to the fact that the military playing field in the region was certainly not level. The prospect and reality of having a young inexperienced BDF facing hardcore and resourced Rhodesian combatants could have easily cowed some weak-hearted general into submission, but the audacious Merafhe took the bull by the horns to safeguard the country's territorial integrity and its  fledgling independence. Even when early in its formative stage the BDF suffered a setback in 1978 in Leshoma, when the Rhodesian terrorists ambushed and killed 15 soldiers, Merafhe continued to show character and unwavering commitment to the safety of the nation.  

When he finally retired from military duties in 1989, to his credit, the army he founded out of the Police Mobile Unit had become the pride of the nation and the world. It had acquitted itself well on many assignments such as the anti-poaching crusade at home and peace-keeping missions at regional and continental levels. 

Political careerIn an unprecedented move, probably borne out of recognition of Merafhe's administrative acumen, then president Sir Ketumile Masire offered him a cabinet post in 1989, ending an illustrious military career spanning 12 years. True to character, Merafhe did not take long to establish himself as a force to reckon with in the rough and tumble world of politics.  He first cut his teeth at the powerful Ministry of Presidential Affairs and Public Administration, shifting to Foreign Affairs before becoming Vice-President.It is interesting to note that though a political novice, Merafhe's entry into the political scene altered the course and internal affairs of the BDP in a big way.

He had the audacity to take on the likes of Daniel Kwelagobe and Peter Mmusi. His entry into politics was arguably the one single factor that saw the BDP's long history of stability coming to an abrupt end when a schism developed tearing the party into two hostile camps - the Merafhe - Nkate axis and Kwelagobe-Kedikilwe axis. It would appear the rift in the party was triggered by Merafhe's attempt to unseat Mmusi from the chairmanship of the party in 1992. Successive attempts by Merafhe to snatch the chairmanship were unsuccessful but the cat and mouse existence between the two rival camps was to continue for a long time.

As a minister, Merafhe made a profound impact locally and internationally mainly in the foreign affairs portfolio during Mogae's presidency.  Against neighbouring Zimbabwe, Merafhe pursued the policy of quiet diplomacy and non-interference in the affairs of another sovereign state.  He advocated for a home-brewed solution to the Zimbabwe crisis. He was once quoted as having said; 'the best we can do is to try and use whatever influence we can manage in order to persuade them to find their own solution to their own problems'.

The policy of quiet diplomacy was to receive condemnation both locally and abroad. Some felt that Botswana was shirking its responsibility of condemning what clearly was a flagrant violation of human rights and democratic principles by Zimbabwean authorities. Despite this scathing criticism, Merafhe stuck to his policy of quiet diplomacy.  As Foreign Affairs Minister, Merafhe successfully put the case of Botswana before the world when Survival International lobbied the world to boycott diamonds from Botswana labelling them 'blood diamonds'. 

The country's livelihood was at stake and Merafhe used his diplomacy and tact to win the day and save the country's economy from collapse. It was under his watchful eye as Foreign Affairs Minister that Botswana took part in a successful regional operation to restore peace and stability in Lesotho.When some quarters raised objection to sending Botswana soldiers on a dangerous mission, he pointed out that 'soldiering is a dangerous profession and you cannot insulate a soldier from danger.' He probably had the last laugh when the BDF, contrary to prophets of doom, went ahead to accomplish its mission and suffered no casualties. When the West became increasingly critical of Chinese involvement in Africa, he dismissed this as some 'paranoia against Chinese engagement in Africa'. Overall he acquitted himself well at foreign affairs, to the extent that he got accolades from the international community.

The pinnacle of Merafhe's political career was his ascent to the post of Vice-President (VP) in 2008, when Khama took the presidency. Merafhe was picked ahead of Kwelagobe and Kedikilwe. The appointment of Merafhe as VP ahead of veterans Kedikilwe and Kwelagobe was fuel to the already existing schism within the party. The tension assumed many dimensions with new players joining the fray. Finally the party split following a legal battle between Gomolemo Motswaledi and President Khama.  The infighting had intensified to an extent where the party split resulting in the formation of the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD). 

The VP's role was critical here.  Merafhe was accused of paying sheepish loyalty and allegiance to Khama, hardly subjecting the President's views and actions to scrutiny.Cabinet appointments were allegedly made on loyalty and not merit. While cabinet appointments were the sole prerogative of the President, the VP also received a lot of flak for allegedly failing to advise the president. It is interesting to note that as VP, Merafhe who had championed diplomacy while Foreign Affairs Minister, adopted an extremely aggressive and confrontational position to the detractors of government and its President. The quiet diplomacy was swept aside and replaced by a policy of engagement.  

On the political front, Merafhe seemed to compliment Khama very well. Whereas Khama was less keen on fighting political battles, Merafhe seemed to relish political debates.  He held his own in Parliamentary debates defending vehemently party policies and its President.  The command of English and deep understanding of issues was his greatest asset. In him Khama had found a true lieutenant and dependable right hand man. The politics of Botswana will be poorer without the input of this self-made man.  It remains to be seen whether his successor will  be able to fill his big boots.

Some of his words are paraphrased hereYour son has inherited your post. You said I have five brilliant sons whom I have educated with my own money but none of them is vying for my position. When I retire one of my colleagues will take over. (Mocking Gil Shaleshando for passing the leadership of the opposition Botswana Congress Party to his son, Dumelang)Whoever thinks that the son of Seretse Khama, the founding father of this nation could possibly be a foreigner, must be subjected to psychiatric examination so that we know the type of people we are dealing with.  (Reference to the debate on Khama's citizenship)I wonder why he chose to join a sinking ship (reference to former BDP secretary general Kentse Rammidi when he joined the Botswana National Front). One or two shootings cannot destroy the image of the country-our image is not that fragile (Reference to the extra-judicial shooting of John Kalafatis)