Botswana's Mogae in Huff After Stinging Criticism
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Business Day (Johannesburg)
February 23, 2005
Posted to the web February 23, 2005
Sello Motseta
Johannesburg
BOTSWANAN President Festus Mogae has ordered the expulsion of a respected academic after he criticised the president in a report for hand-picking Vice-President Lt-Gen Ian Khama as his successor.
Renowned University of Botswana political analyst Prof Kenneth Good was given two days to leave Botswana last Friday.
Good co-authored a paper titled, Presidential Succession in Botswana: No Model for Africa, that has allegedly incensed those close to Mogae and Khama. The paper is scheduled to be delivered at the university today.
"Botswana claims high democratic credibility but behaves in this way. Mogae on Friday gave me 48 hours to leave, but Ian Smith in 1973 gave me five days," said Good, who challenged the decision in court. The Botswana High Court met on Saturday and granted him a reprieve to contest the case in court on March 7 this year.
He said: "Mogae as president in immediate tandem with Khama seems a less rational, principled and perspicacious person. The President and his deputy are essentially two managers, not politicians – one a financial bureaucrat and the other a soldier."
Good criticises the government's decision to ignore a government task force's strong recommendations for the country's second university to be sited in Selibi Phikwe and instead locate it in Serowe, which is Khama's home village and political fiefdom.
"Ian Khama had earlier announced that he expected his younger brother, Tshekedi, to inherit his Parliamentary seat of Serowe North West – even the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) secretariat expressed objection to such an abrogation of democratic procedures," said Good.
He said: "The rising opposition to Khama automatically becoming the next president is partly fuelled by the fact that President Mogae has been irrationally, privately and secretively accommodating to Khama."
This allegedly included the appointment of Khama as vice-president even though he was not at the time a member of the national assembly, the award of an unprecedented year-long sabbatical to pursue personal issues in 2000 and a personal undertaking by Mogae to allow Khama to fly Botswana Defence Force (BDF) helicopters without consultation.
Good observed that there had been long-standing concern over Khama's management style, including allegedly awarding tenders to family members when he was the head of the army, bypassing the tendering process.
"This was because the BDF bought some of its equipment from a company called Seleka Springs whose directors, Tshekedi and Anthony Khama, were brothers to vice-President Ian Khama, who at the time was the commander of the BDF," said Good.
He said: "The BDF then also bought its vehicles from Lobatse Delta, which was under the directorship of the Khama twins. Another company linked to the Khama family was Hot Bread, from whom the BDF bought its bread for trainees and soldiers in the Kasane area."
The study also takes a swipe at BDP treasurer Satar Dada, one of the richest people in Botswana, and formerly a specially elected member of parliament (MP).
"Land Rovers are the vehicles of choice of the BDF and the police (immediately raising huge questions of conflicts of interest vis-à-vis Dada and his ownership of Lesedi Motors - the suppliers of the vehicles to the forces).
Through Dada the BDP had acquired 57 vehicles, enabling its candidates to campaign effectively in all of the new 57 constituencies in the country," said Good.
The paper argues that presidential arrogance has been displayed in the reappointment of BDP MPs and ministers rejected democratically by their constituencies instead of uplifting young professionals, trade union representatives or ethnic minorities.
Dumelang Saleshando, a spokesman for the opposition Botswana Congress Party (BCP) and MP, said: "I have a problem with the law (on prohibited immigrants) as it stands. Any laws which allow the head of state to take prejudicial action against any citizen or noncitizen without giving reasons is archaic and primitive."
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He said: "Good is an academic who has been critical of both the ruling party, as well as the opposition parties. But such criticisms should be accommodated in a democracy."
Presidential press secretary Jeff Ramsay said: "We cannot comment on prohibited immigrants' cases. All I can say is that he (Good) has been declared a prohibited immigrant."
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