The polluted air was pregnant with a feeling or atmosphere so intense as to suggest that Masisi and Tsogwane had almost done something that openly earned them sustained booing and the wrath of the public. The somewhat unruly public behaviour or spat evoked a keen sense of sadness in the eyes of the international community as the former president and his deputy were given unruly ‘mob justice’. The inauguration ceremony wasn't a political event that deserved partisan attitudes, but rather it was a national event to swear in the State President who has even unequivocally and emphatically explained himself as not a President of the UDC now, but a State President. Twice or more, when the names Masisi and Tsogwane were mentioned by President Duma Boko and the directors of ceremonies, Ambassador Gobe Pitso and Assistant Superintendent Selebatso Mooketsi of Botswana Police Service, the northern, eastern, and southern wings of the National Stadium reverberated into booing the head honchos of the previous regime in a demeaning manner. It was only the grand stand that watched in muteness as the three sides of the stadium engaged in embarrassing raucous and disorderly bellow.
The booing business was clear and intentional despite that Boko had presented Masisi in good light hailing him for the smooth transfer of power, which is unparalleled as African leaders tend to drag their feet when it comes to change of regimes. “I give Masisi a lot of respect and admiration for the way he handled the power transfer despite that he was the leader of a political party that had just lost power during October 30, 2024, polls,” is a line that Boko has been repeating in appreciation of Masisi’s gesture. But, this line didn't seem to resonate well with a section of public that booed and hissed when the past leaders’ names were mentioned. But when the names of other former presidents Ian Khama and Festus Mogae were mentioned, there were loud ululations, whistling and cheers, a clear sign of tolerance and acceptance.
Another turn of booing came in when a close confidante of former president Masisi, Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa was introduced, as the refereeing public couldn't spare him. He was booed, whenever his name was mentioned as if the perpetrators of the unfriendly behaviour were planted to do exactly that. The sitting arrangement of the dignitaries was another interesting thing to watch as former president Masisi, Mnangagwa and Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema who are known regional buddies were placed on one side whilst a darling of the people on that day, former president Ian Khama was placed the whole world apart and closer to his senior former president Festus Mogae. Former vice president Tsogwane was also placed further far away from Mogae and Khama. The seemingly enraged public might have also read a lot into this arrangement which one government accounting officer who was part of the event’s organisers explained, “There was no way we could put Khama and Masisi closer to each other.” The thinking post the swearing-in event was that Boko had a mammoth task of bringing the two elderly statesmen together to enable them to smoke a peace pipe, especially in the wake of public spats on Masisi, Tsogwane and others. At least Boko is on talking terms with both Masisi and Khama, and his job is really cut out for him.
Meanwhile, Botswana’s sixth President, Boko, entered the National Stadium in grand style escorted by horse-riding army men and women which ignited loud cheers from a partisan crowd that had thronged the venue as he waved to the local masses before taking up his seat at the grand stand mounted in the middle of the stadium. There were also international guests coming mainly from Southern African countries. Just when Boko was ushered to inspect his first ever guard of honour mounted by the Botswana Defence Force, a security glitch exposed him to danger. During the episode, a young man wielding a paper in his hand abruptly aghast the security by sprinting towards Boko which shocked many as eyes were fixated on the President’s action. Luckily, the security organs who rose from their slumber, sprang into action and caught the man who was then whisked away from the stadium. In his address after being sworn to the seat of power by Chief Justice Terence Rannowane, President Boko pleaded with the nation to unify in all the challenges that bedevil the country. He made the plea with the hope that the new administration will deliver on its promises to combat unemployment, a collapsed health system, and economy, provide cushioning social nets and all other issues bedevilling this nation.
This was just an acceptance speech, as the new government blueprint in line with the Umbrella for Democratic Change’s (UDC) manifesto will be elaborated in the impending State of the Nation Address (SONA). Boko’s address was also punctuated with evangelism as he borrowed extensively from the word of God and he provided hope to the hopeless. He also quoted from the hymns extensively. Public servants who manned protocol were generally kitted in complementing blue African print, which added colour and flare to the theme colour blue, which is also the main colour of the ruling UDC which, historically took power from one of Africa’s longest-ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) on October 30. BDP had been in power for nearly six decades since 1966. University of Botswana (UB) sociology senior lecturer, Dr Sethunya Mosime, told The Monitor yesterday that Africa is going through a young people’s revolution. “Some of the revolutionaries are violent, as some of them are toxic and their level of respect worrisome. This new leadership is in for a rough patch if they don’t meet the expectations of the young people,” she said.
Mosime explained that the election campaign narrative was that Zimbabwe under Mnangagwa was going to help the BDP remain in power by bringing its own people to vote for the former ruling party, the BDP something that never happened. Nonetheless, Mnangagwa is still blamed for the ‘imagined’ sins. Mosime insisted that the new government has to work harder and meet the expectations of the people, especially the younger generation who joined the masses at the stadium last Friday to boo its former leaders. She further stated: “If that toxicity has to be a new culture, we may not live to enjoy what we fought for (change of government) as a nation."
