A test for trust and reconciliation :: Mmegi Online

The Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) central committee will travel to Serowe next Saturday for a peace and apology mission. They will be joined by several party elders. Their mission is to apologise to Bangwato tribe and its leadership. This follows years of tension after the tribe was denied the right to use its kgotla while the BDP was in power.

Many people see the move as an effort to rebuild ties with the Bangwato. The decision to bar them from the kgotla had been widely criticised. It was a rare and historic action in Botswana’s politics. On Tuesday, the BDP Secretary General, Kentse Rammidi, spoke to the media about the upcoming visit. He described the treatment of Bangwato as unique and unprecedented.

“There has never been any tribe in Botswana denied access to its kgotla because of a dispute with the government,” Rammidi said. He added that the ban may have prevented the Bangwato from pursuing legal action. “If Bangwato were allowed access to their kgotla, maybe they could have taken the government to court on issues affecting them, just like Bamalete did,” he said.

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