Fate has a queer way of directing events. And in Shaw Kgathi’s case, his political fortunes are intertwined with his party’s misfortunes. But the man at the centre of the BDP storm absolves himself from all blame. He talked to MPHO DIBEELA

Shaw Kgathi insists he is calm-nerved, not the short-tempered kind. But one particular incident gives him away. It was about nine years ago. With questions hanging over his appointment as Director of Sports and Recreation, when a more qualified and deserving individual was sidelined, the matter entered Lobatse High Court.
On the spur of the moment Kgathi lost his cool while being photographed at court by the then chief photographer of this group of newspapers, Oaitse Sejakgomo. Under pressure, Kgathi snapped and grabbed the camera. He had to come down to the newspaper’s offices to plead for understanding. Needless to say, the court ruled against his appointment and soon he was shipped abroad to acquire his Masters degree in Sports, Culture and Development, which paved way for his formal appointment to the position.
That was then. Many years down the line, having sacrificed his public service career for a political call, controversy has not left the man. Some point to him and his all powerful Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) culture and publicity sub-committee for the spark that ignited the worst ever fallout in the party’s history.  His critics say while the party went into an overdrive of self-destruction, Kgathi’s political expediency paid off. He moved from assistant minister to a full minister while the BDP suffered its first ever split.
It was Kgathi who signed off on the letter from his sub-committee that laid a complaint to the party disciplinary committee about then secretary general Gomolemo Motswaledi for alleged acts that brought disrepute to the party. The sub-committee in its quest to keep the BDP brand clean had taken excitedly to the role of booking those parading the party’s dirty linen in public. Motswaledi’s crime was to take offence at a party lawyers’ decision to make public a legal opinion sought by the party before the central committee had seen it. Motswaledi had released a public statement to register his disgust, something that was interpreted as undermining President Ian Khama.
On Tuesday this week, at the parliament buildings, Kgathi offered no apology for his committee or his personal involvement in the moment that seemingly set off a series of events that culminated with erstwhile colleagues serving divorce papers.  
Based on the complaint, Khama did not waste time in suspending Motswaledi from his position for 60 days, which meant he was denied the right to contest the Gaborone Central seat. Subsequent events resulted in the Barata Phathi faction, which was singled out for the wrath of leadership, defying threats to stage a meeting in Mogoditshane which led to the formation of Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD). In between there had been court hearings, failed attempts at mediation and refusal by the aggrieved members to appear before what they considered a kangaroo court – the party’s disciplinary committee – which is itself appointed by the president as other sub-committees. 
But this week Kgathi denied that he benefited from the demise of his party. He said promotions do not necessarily come as a result of one’s role in the BDP but one’s abilities. He denies that it was the scripting of the letter of complaint that laid the ground for the fallout but that there have been fundamental deep-rooted differences.
“If it were not for this, the matter would have been resolved. We, as a committee, have done nothing wrong. We were working on protecting the BDP brand,” he insists. He considers that step to have been a principled one for which they deserve no crucifixion. Kgathi’s sub-committee grew in stature that at some point some felt it was even more powerful than the central committee itself. That is mainly because they had to bring to book a number of dissenting party members who were raising their concerns through the media.
The committee has to, among other things, promote party interaction with media, assist in profiling the party, propagate party policies, programmes and initiatives, and promote cultural aspects that enhance the image of the party. Now more than ever, the committee and Kgathi in particular have been called to launch counterattacks against picketing former members who are giving the party a dressing down while storming out of its keep. The party has even hired a public relations manager, Segaetsho Garekwe, to help secure a brand, which is reeling from its worst ever attack.
Though he projects a positive face on the party’s goings on, he acknowledges that they are losing young MPs who could ensure the sustenance and growth of the party in the future.
But, he adds, the current political developments in the party are not new phenomena and are not peculiar to the BDP. “As an old party born in 1962, it has gone through differential developmental phases with an increasing number of people with a variety of intellectual bases and philosophical interpretations,” he says.
He says BDP, like any big party, is merely peeling off, only to come back stronger. To him, BMD is mostly a product of media hype and not fully cherished by the voters.
“The reality of the situation is that currently sustenance of the BMD is sensational through the media with no backing of the voters. They have not been put to the test. On the contrary, the BDP has stood the test of time. We will await the dust to settle and we assure you the voters will give the new party a brutal response. We remain very stable and urge democrats to stay focused,” he maintains. 
He is disturbed that the media is portraying his party negatively, ignoring the true achievements of the party for which facts are available. He dismisses BMD as a small-inexperienced party with no policies to talk of. But of all people, it is Kgathi who has become the first victim of BMD’s wrath. The party’s deputy leader, Botsalo Ntuane, has called for his sacking together with the minister of Wildlife, Tourism and Environment, Kitso Mokaila, for bungling attempts to lure tourists and teams coming for the just-ended World Cup. He has denied any wrongdoing by himself or the government in the saga. Even as his leadership abilities are being questioned, Kgathi – Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture – says he is enjoying every minute of his ministerial job. He was previously assistant minister of Agriculture. He is all over – from sports functions to cultural ones. Government media, particularly the national television barely misses his address. In the process, he has become even more comfortable with a microphone. Of course, he has taken the job from the trailblazing Gladys Kokorwe, who upon retirement was thanked with a diplomatic post. Had Kgathi slackened pace, it would have long been clear.
But with the political developments that are fast changing the country, the strategist that he insists he is will have to work even harder. He says his political survival as Bobirwa MP has had a lot to do with the good strategies he employs. He has defeated Botswana Congress Party’s (BCP) Taolo Lucas twice in 2004 and 2009, extending his margin from around 500 to 800. Already, his strategy of retaining the seat in 2014, he says, is already being put to action. Meantime, Lucas’s party has demoted him from the all-powerful general secretary post to head Information and Publicity.
He points to his other Masters degree – Development Studies – as having given him a full appreciation of issues affecting his electorate and the intellectual latitude of dealing with them.
At 49, he says his fate lies with his electorates. “It is up to me to determine my future. However, more is dependent upon my electorates. Being here is a result of Babirwa’s vote and nobody else,” says the man who denies opportunism in his rise. He insists only hard work, backed by experience and sufficient training has taken him this far.
However, his battle with the media, which started when he grabbed a camera from a photographer in a moment when he felt he was not projected in a good light, is far from over.  It is now about his party, the BDP, for which he blames the media and not the party leadership for its latest spell of misfortunes.