The BMD dilemma: Realign or disintegrate?
Friday, September 06, 2019

Gomolemo Motswaledi
A splinter party of the BDP, BMD was perhaps the most talked about political formation, its messaging hit home, its energy was new, young and vibrant, and it could’ve easily become the main opposition political party or the next government.
BMD’s future was to be written in history. For the first time in decades, in my view Botswana’s political landscape had nuance, a varied array of intellectual discourse driven mainly by a young crop of anti-establishment (read anti-Khama) activists that were ready and willing to change the status quo.
Instead, it has sparked a storm of accusations, denials, and unresolved questions about the influence of De Beers on the nation’s politics. Former president Mokgweetsi Masisi’s claims that the diamond giants bankrolled his removal to dodge taxes – and that the new Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) government watered down a favourable diamond deal – are explosive matters. But without evidence, they risk becoming a toxic distraction from...