Kutlo Motseta
4th October 2024
It was a quiet Monday morning at the office of the president with the media had gathered for the presidential handover.
The tranquility of the occasion made it easy to forget that, we were witnessing history. No one had ever seen Botswana led by any party other than BDP, which was mangled beyond recognition at the polls, managing only four parliamentary seats behind the UDC (29), BCP (15) and BPF(5).
The ever-unassuming incoming Vice President elect, Ndaba Gaolathe arrived quietly, with most journalists oblivious to his entry. He was driven in a civilian number plated plain land cruiser, he alighted from the vehicle. By the time he got approached the Office of the President’s entrance, a journalist remarked “[Ah!] There’s Ndaba!”.
The Former President, Mokgweetsi Masisi, arrived in a presidential car and journalists immediately surrounded him with cameras and he reciprocated by smiling boradly and briefly shared words about the protocol for the handover.
The face of the country’s new democracy, President Advocate Duma Boko, expectedly arrived in his presidential escort.
At about 10am President Boko emerged from the building with Former President Masisi and Vice-President elect Gaolathe and made their way to the Office of the Presidents lawns where the media awaited for a press conference.
Boko spoke without a written speech, something that he is accustomed to as a leading local courtroom advocate. He started and focused on the peaceful democratic transition of power and praised former President Masisi for his fundamental role.
“… Ladies and gentleman let me gratefully acknowledge each one of you to witness the most glorious the most defining in our country as a democracy we went through election through the elections led by a ruling party for 58 years.
“That party surrendered office and a new administration was ushered in … in other places when that happens there is immediate strife arising from those that would have been in power … to cling to power precipitating power and disorder and create a massive humanitarian crisis in a situation like ours,” he said. Commenting on the state of country democracy he said, “This moment is testament to the maturity of our democracy … and we have our immediate former president to thank and I thank him profusely”.
He then made a touching tribute explaining the discussions he had with his former political foe.
“Before counting finished Former President reached out to me and said you and your party are doing well and my party remain hopeful. And said God bless you and God bless our country … happily we Batswana are one family. He responded and said ‘yes, you are my in law’.” The Former President called twice more assuring him that he would concede if he lost, which he did.
Boko further commended Masisi and said he was astounded by his character as he congratulated him on the day of his party’s his first ever national election political loss. “For that I bow down in gratitude to him … when I called, he answered and he said ‘my president’. That is humbling. For him democracy is not preached it is practiced. … we are honoured by your commitment to democracy.”
Boko who is a leading human rights lawyer, promised to protect the human rights and the integrity of the office. “We are going to be a responsive government on the precepts of compassion, understanding … that people who come to the office also need other respected and feel valued and feel that everything is being done.”
Former president Masisi also confirmed everything that President Duma Boko said had transpired in their conversations.
“I can confirm what my president said … of what transpired in the election indeed my party is learning to be the opposition … Luckily people spoke in a manner that is transparent and evidencable … we lost the election … I rallied my troops to accept the outcome of the election,” said Masisi.
He said, “Your excellency, I can confirm that I meant every word of what I said. I want the handover to be very public … there is only one commander in chief, there is only one president.”
He further emphasized that he would not run for president again, in a speech peppered with political humour. Having won 2019 last elections only to be defeated in specular fashion, he said “Batswana be njele monate le botlhoko, le nna ke ba jele monate le botlhoko,” meaning, “Batswana beat me in a bitter sweet fashion, I also beat them in a bitter sweet fashion.”
Boko discussed the relationship with media “Relationship with the media stands to reason that we need the press … that we need vibrant, ethical, sometimes uncomfortably probing press. One of the issues we will debate is freedom of information that they operate from a vantage of knowledge and not peddle fake news”.
At the end, the two embraced, giving a visual representation of what the outgone and incoming president wanted the Botswana to exemplify to the world, a peaceful transition, which he had encapsulated in his speech.
“I am in much to your debt, we respect you more when you were in office because we did not really know who you are … but Botswana sends a message out to the world to the democracy … this is democracy in action … to say to the African continent, it must happen it can happen … we are grateful for the example you have set not just for us but for whole of Africa and the whole world.”
