Own Correspondent
8th April 2020
It has since emerged that Umbrella for Democratic Change(UDC) leader Duma Boko was indeed invited to the consultation convened by President Mokgweetsi Eric Masisi on corona virus crises to opposition leaders at the Pavilion Showgrounds, where parliament is sitting but allegedly ignored calls to attend meeting for reasons which remain unexplained and are furiously refuted by his party spokesperson.
It has also been clarified Botswana Congress Party(BCP) President Dumelang Saleshando, was initially invited but invitation was withdrawn because meeting was allegedly for opposition leaders at the 2019 general elections. The invitation extended to Serowe West MP, Tshekedi Khama as representative of the Botswana Patriotic Front(BPF) was also withdrawn on the same basis.
“I managed to get hold of Nicholas Boko’s driver and he agreed that I should share his phone number with our driver to facilitate delivery of the invitation letter. Unfortunately, when he was called he did not answer his phone, I did try also in vain,” said Kaelo Molefhe, Director of Governance in the Ministry for Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration if office of President Mokgweetsi Masisi.
He said, “Subsequently, I contacted Moeti and Dithapelo seeking possible directions to bring this matter to a logical conclusion. Nothing concrete materialized however.”
According to officials the world learnt of a new outbreak of a severe pneumonia and infection of the lungs, in Wuhan in the Hubei Province in China in late December, 2019. By early January of 2020, Chinese authorities had identified the cause of the severe pneumionia as a new strain of virus called Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV2) or COVID-19.
On the 5th March 2020, South Africa recorded its first case of COVID-19, Namibia and Eswathini quickly followed suit when they too announced the first cases on the 15th March 2020 and Zimbabwe on March 21st 2020. The World Health Organization(WHO) declared COVID-19 outbreak as a global pandemic on the 11th March 2020 and the Director of Public Health declared a Public Health Emergency on 20th March 2020 to put in place initial measures to curb the spread and the transmission of the COVID-19 through social distancing with instructions to ban gathering of more than 100 people.
The President in terms of section 17(1) of the Constitution of Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi declared a state of public emergency starting from 2nd April 2020 at midnight. The public emergency is to take effective measures to address the spread and transmission of this novel virus.
The Umbrella for Democratic Change Spokesperson has however averred that the physical address of UDC leader Duma Boko is well known by the authorities and that he had every intention to participate in discussions of corona virus. It therefore defies belief that they could not identify where he stays. The state is alleged to have summoned Boko recently.
Moeti Mohwasa, Spokesperson for the Umbrella for Democratic Change(UDC) said “It is not true. He just said he was looking for Boko. How can he look for address of Boko when he knows where he stays.”
He revealed, “I told him I was in Phikwe and Boko was in Gaborone. The following day Professor Molomo called and I told him that they know where Boko is. How can they look for where Boko stays when Kaelo in the build up to the general elections in 2014 used to hang around with Boko. He knows where Boko stays.”
