allAfrica.com: Botswana: Khama in Jest (Page 1 of 1)

When the moment that the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) was waiting for Finally arrived when Vice President and BDP chairman, Ian Khama came, the crowd became uncontrollable.

There was a stampede with people shouting Khama! Khama! before he finally alighted from the army chopper.

Khama's arrival was announced by an army chopper, which landed on the grounds of the Kediretswe Primary School a stone's throw away from the star rally where Khama was the guest speaker. He was co-piloting the military helicopter.

Despite criticism levelled against Khama and his government, he continues to defy public criticism by co-piloting the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) chopper to address a BDP star rally in Palapye to the annoyance of the under resourced opposition parties running for the Palapye by-election. As Khama walked to the marquee where the event was held, his well wishers made him appear more important than the event. Clad in a white casual jacket, a red shirt and a black pair of trousers and a black pair of shoes, he fitted in the party occasion.

When he was finally given an opportunity to address the masses, Khama became more entertaining with his theatrics and of course with his much improved Setswana with some occasional poor pronunciation. He set the event alight when he addressed Communications, Science and Technology Minister, Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi as 'MmaBeans' or MmaDinawa in the vernacular. He deliberately mispelt Venson-Moitoi's former surname, Binns, to suit his speech.

He then shifted his attention to former Cabinet member and BDP Women's Wing chairperson, Tebelelo Seretse. He shouted that Seretse would soon add Mazila to her surname to make it double barrelled so that she matches Venson-Moitoi who has a double-barrelled surname.

"She says she wants to mark Venson-Moitoi tightly in the forthcoming party primaries," said Khama, leaving the party faithful in incessant laughter.

He preferred to call people by the names he has chosen as aptly demonstrated by the new name he gave to Tswapong South MP, Oreeditse Molebatsi whom he called

"MP wa ZCC". For the Tati East MP, Samson Moyo Guma, he was ordered to go to Zimbabwe, "kwa o tlholegang teng, go tlhopha ka March 29-where you originate to participate in the March 29 elections". "Guma ke Motebele o tshwanetse go ya kwa ga bone - Guma is a Ndebele and has to go home," he pronounced. It was generally how he said his things that he left the whole rally in stitches. He addressed the BDP winner of the Kgalagadi North constituency Victor Motobake as "Motokara" which means a car.

He then turned to the BDP Palapye constituency chairman, Ransford Nkomo whom he asked: "Are you a Ndebele? - A o Motebele raa? This threw the rally in another round of incessant laughter. Khama, who is credited for keeping time very well, arrived at around 5pm instead of the initial 3pm. Explaining circumstances surrounding his delay, Khama indicated that the first chopper that he was using developed some landing problems and decided to go back to the base in Gaborone to use a state plane which could not make it because of the muddy runway at the Palapye air strip.

"Then I had to take this chopper to make it here after I had almost given up on this trip," said Khama. He promised the BDP diehards that the BDP was going to win all the weekend by-elections as the mood of the people was revealing in all the areas. He said the BDP was able to eliminate the opposition Botswana Congress Party (BCP) in other areas and wondered why Palapye people were still nursing it in their area. He then turned to the party candidate, Moiseraele Master Goya and said: " Rre yo ke lantlha ke mmona, mme o montle thata. O monana, e bile o gaisa MP wa pele, Boyce Sebetela - It's my first time to meet our candidate who is apparently more handsome than the previous MP Boyce Sebetela. He is even more youthful".

Because Sebetela was watching the proceedings from a distance, standing at the back of a bakkie, Khama spotted him and turned on him. "Sebetela used to make a lot of noise from Parliament on pertinent issues. I liked the way he did it for his people as it was not good that he kept quiet". He said Sebetela lacked political stamina to carry on with his attack of the government and decided to have an early exit. "Keep your pace after winning the by-election and don't be like Sebetela. At least attack the government for a week, not daily," he said just cheering the crowd without necessarily attacking Sebetela.

"Look at Master, he is wearing fashionable shoes which are better than mine because I am just arriving from dusty Hukuntsi. You look like someone who is capable and that would help our party to forge ahead," Khama said.

He gave the crowd some provision. "From now henceforth, I encourage you never to go to drinking holes". In the vernacular he asked if all those who attended the rally had quit drinking. "A kere lo tlogetse bojalwa lotlhe? - You have all quit drinking?" He warned the party faithful that in the event the BDP loses "I would never come here." In conclusion, Khama's tendency to mix up pronunciation of some words earned him a round of laughter from the audience. He pronounced the Setswana word "tswala' which could mean to close or shut wrongly and instead pronounced it in a manner that it meant to dress.

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