Khama is expected to address his tribesmen in Serowe tomorrow after a surprise appearance before a magistrate court in Gaborone last week. He is facing several criminal charges including unlawful possession of firearms. Khama is denying the charges and says that they are part of persecution by President Mokgweetsi Masisi. However, Khama, a BPF patron, comes to Botswana at a time the party is experiencing enormous politico-legal drama. Among others, the drama recently escalated when three BPF activists took the party’ secretary-general (SG), Lawrence Ookeditse, its president, Mephato Reatile, and the BPF, respectively before the Francistown High Court. The trio asked the court to declare that the decision of Reatile to remove the BPF from the membership of the opposition coalition, the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), was an unlawful violation of the party’s constitution and was therefore null and void. Last year, the BPF also experienced its fair share of court drama. The court drama led to the expulsion of its founding president, Biggie Butale, and another prominent figure, Moiseraela Goya, from the party for gross misconduct.
After the duo was expelled from the BPF, they formed a splinter party, the Botswana Republican Party (BRP). The BPF is also an off-shoot of the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) that was formed after the acrimonious breakdown of the relationship between Masisi and his predecessor, Khama. The demons afflicting the BPF threaten to reverse the gains it made when it won three constituencies (Serowe North, Serowe West and Serowe South) at the 2019 General Election shortly after its formation. Of the three Serowe constituencies, the BPF has only one confirmed prospective parliamentary candidate; Baratiwa Mathoothe of the Serowe North constituency. The BPF is yet to identify parliamentary candidates for the Serowe South and Serowe West constituencies because of misunderstandings arising from how the party conducted its primaries. The three Serowe constituencies are considered the strongholds of the BPF mainly due to the influence of Khama. The former president is the son of the founding president of Botswana and the BDP, Sir Seretse Khama, and is also Kgosikgolo of Bangwato.
Khama (Ian), is also a former commander of the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) and his sphere of influence is not only limited to the former vast Central District (CDC), but spans across Botswana. With only a few weeks left before the general election on October 30, the BPF supporters and the punditry are of the opinion that the party risks squandering the goodwill that the electorate gave it during the 2019 polls. There is a school of thought that the current internal wrangling within the BPF will not only affect its fortunes in the three Serowe constituencies but across the country. Recently, the BPF lost a golden opportunity to tell voters what its plans for them are during the radio debates in the Serowe South and Serowe West constituencies owing to lack of candidates in these constituencies. Asked about Khama’s return, Ookeditse was enthusiastic that the return of Khama, who is expected to hit the campaign trail following his self-imposed exile in South Africa and Eswatini, will solidify the electoral prospects of the BPF. “Former president Khama’s return will galvanise our existing members and prospective ones. Khama’s return will also help the BPF to build inroads in new areas across the country. The BPF is growing in leaps and bounds countrywide and it is going to do well in looming polls,” said Ookeditse. Asked Thursday to comment why the BPF has as yet not identified candidates in the Serowe South and Serowe West constituencies, Ookeditse said the party is obeying the court order that barred it from holding primaries in the two constituencies. “The BPF has multiple candidates who are eyeing the constituencies in question. The reason why the BPF has not identified nominees in these constituencies is that it is obeying a court order that mandated it not to have a re-run of primaries in some constituencies. This happened after some of our members took the BPF to court asking it to set aside the decision of the National Executive Committee (NEC) to order reruns of primary elections in some constituencies,” said Ookeditse.
Quizzed if the BPF is not concerned that its internal fights may harm its electoral fortunes, Ookeditse replied: “These internal misunderstandings will not affect how the party will perform in the upcoming general elections. Our activists in those constituencies have never stopped campaigning despite what is currently obtaining. Our activists in the affected constituencies have also not stopped to mobilise the electorates. Our NEC will be meeting to map the way forward. We hope that we will manage to get a date for the primaries as soon as it is practical to do so.” Probed what impact, if any, will the return of Khama to Botswana on the eve of the general election have on the political landscape, Adam Mfundisi, a political analyst at the University of Botswana (UB), said Khama is an important figure in the history of Botswana's socio-economic and political development. “Khama has held significant and essential positions in the government of Botswana. Khama started his professional journey in the public service through the then Botswana Police Force specifically in the paramilitary component called the Police Mobile Unit. In 1977, the BDF was formed, and Khama became the second in command with the rank of Brigadier. After the retirement of the first commander of the BDF, the late General Mompati Merafhe, Khama ascended to the position of the commander of the BDF until his retirement into politics. Upon his retirement from the military, he became the vice president in former president Festus Mogae’s administration. When Mogae’s tenure of office lapsed, Khama took over the reins of power until 2018. The above background lays down the historical premises within which the discussion on Khama must be anchored upon,” said Mfundisi.
Mfundisi added: “When the BPF was formed on the eve of the 2019 General Election by a faction within the BDP, Khama became an undisputed leader of the party under the guise of patron. To be blunt, Khama is the godfather of the BPF and its political fortunes are inseparable from him. Since Khama went into self-exile, the BPF has gone through trials and tribulations leading to the formation of a breakaway party called the BRP. “The lacuna in strategic leadership leads to perpetual internal wrangling and factionalism, which continue to afflict the BPF to date. Currently, there exist divisions related to whether the BPF should have exited from the UDC or not. The NEC decided to exit from the UDC without extensive consultations and deliberations by the rank and file membership. And court cases have been laid against the leadership of the BPF. Khama is extremely popular in Botswana and his popularity spreads beyond his Bangwato heartland. He is charismatic and therefore has the ability to appeal to the hearts and minds of the voting masses.”
