Botswana: Khama fails to return Kanye

He was expected to go back the congress later, after the elections, but he never returned, amidst speculation that he was snubbing the new Central Committee.

However, BDP electoral board chairman Parks Tafa said that Khama did not return to Kanye for security reasons. He explained that it would be unsafe for the President to travel at night to the congress. “Even his car was in Kanye all the time he was away, but he could not come as it was dark when the new committee was announced. As you might be aware, it is not safe to fly a helicopter at night and likewise driving on the road at night would have posed serious safety challenges for the President as there are a lot of animals like donkeys on the road (Gaborone-Kanye). Out of this realisation, I consulted with the chairman (Kwelagobe) to tell the President that it was not necessary that he come to the closing of the congress. So it is just the fertile imagination of those who say that the president snubbed the new Central Committee,” he said.

BDP executive secretary Dr Comma Serema denied that Khama snubbed the new BDP officials. He said the role of welcoming the new Central Committee rests on the shoulders of Tafa as chairman of the electoral board and not the President. That is why, he said, Tafa welcomed the new officials after they were elected.

Tafa said that at the 2007 BDP congress, the then party president Festus Mogae had left the task of welcoming the new Central Committee to him. “He (Mogae) went to Borolong area to attend President’s Day holiday celebrations but later, he came back and then decided to take over and welcome the new committee,” said Tafa.

BDP chairman, Daniel Kwelagobe concurred with Tafa that the President had indicated that he would not be around to welcome the new Central Committee. However, he disagreed with the notion that it was not necessary for the President to come back from Gaborone to the congress.

Mmegi Online