Ahypocrite is someone who preaches one thing but practices an entirely different one. With experts agreeing that political actors, especially in Africa, often times exhibit a mismatch between what they said and did when in power and what they say after retirement, former President Dr Ian Khama easily comes to mind given his current state of mind compared to when he was President of Botswana.

One recalls when in an interview with Trevor Ncube, a publisher in South Africa, he lamented the worrying reality that leaders in many African countries are driven by greed, corruption, self-interest, and want to cling to power for a long time, including when they are retired. One would have thought that Botswana was immune from this spectrum of entrenched leaders.

Khama had actually said this some months after his fallout with his successor, Mokgweetsi Masisi who had been his Vice President for some time. Those in the know, have suggested that Khama’s disdain for Masisi was the result of the successor’s refusal to play second fiddle to the predecessor, where the latter had obviously wanted to continue with some grip on power from behind the scenes. The trap, as would later be revealed, was in Khama allegedly deciding for Masisi, who to appoint as his Vice President. That Vice President, ironically, had to be Khama’s younger brother, Tshekedi

It is a narrative Khama has refuted despite being hinted at by several people close to the government enclave who worked under both Khama and Masisi. Masisi himself has revealed this when addressing a closed door meeting of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) Council, which was recorded and leaked by one of those in attendance. The relationship between the two would deteriorate to the extent that Khama sponsored varied attempts to oust Masisi, including the alleged support of an opposition party motion of no confidence in Masisi, as well as a challenge of Masisi for the position of party chairperson by Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi. When both failed, he would go on to form a break-away party along with others who were not happy with the ruling party at the time.

In his rollercoaster public rallies after forming the Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) for which he became Patron, Khama openly expressed regret for having appointed Masisi as his successor. He also alleged that he was being abused by the BDP government in many respects including being denied his entitlements as former Head of State. Among other expressions of disdain towards Masisi, he vowed to do everything in his power to ensure Masisi does not complete his term in office. Months of this bickering later, Khama claimed security threats to his person and family members, and soon fled to South Africa where they remain to this day. Right from the onset, Khama made it clear that the main objective of the BPF was to unseat the Mokgweetsi Masisi-led Botswana Democratic Party (BDP). Although a mere patron at the BPF, Khama has sought to call the shots in the party as he could not play second fiddle to the substantive leader, Biggie Butale either.

Sources say that because wherever he is and regardless of his position he wants to call the shots, Khama insisted on attending BPF National Executive Committee (NEC) meetings despite the fact that the party constitution does not have such a provision. It was not long before he had issues with the BPF leader, Butale whom he wanted replaced with someone he (Khama) could order around. The fight for control inside the BPF has since led to a court cases which Butale won, hurting Khama towards talk of him leaving the BPF to form a new party. Only last minute interventions that saw a delegation of some party officials visit him in South Africa last week helped prevent the party being formed this past weekend.

Observers agree that the real reason for his leaving the BDP in the first place and later wanting to leave the BPF, is that the respective leaders of the two parties had refused to allow him to do as he pleased. They see him as a man seeking to be in charge, but wanting to hide behind people the public would be fooled to think they are the real leaders. When it did not work with Masisi, he talked of being harassed and Masisi being intolerant. When it did not work with Butale, he labeled him a liar who goes around using his name to gain popularity. For the second time, this week Butale was slapped with a suspension letter from the party by the Acting Vice President Mephato Reatile, a man who just last week went to have a meeting with Khama in South Africa. It is these curious actions that have made political observers to conclude that Khama just does not want to lose a grip on power. It is public knowledge that he wants to be the President of BPF, and some within the BPF, among them Biggie, are doing all they can to block his ambitions. While Khama’s frequent criticism of dictators who have sought or seek to stay in power forever earned him accolades particularly in the West, many insist he is a hypocrite for calling out dictators when he himself wants to remain in the leadership forever. Questions have been asked why he could not retire peacefully the same way other former presidents, Sir Ketumile Masire and Festus Mogae, did when they stepped down from office. Questions are asked why he still wants to be active in politics and as a President. The common opinion is that he is doing this knowing that a follow-up coalition with the main opposition party, the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), would bring him closer to the throne again. It is against this background that his lieutenants in the BPF are suspending anyone opposing a working relationship with the UDC for the imminent council by election scheduled for Mmaphula ward in Palapye.

Khama has himself said that a prolonged stay in power is retrogressive to the democratic aspirations of the ruled. Whether somebody remains Head of State forever or seeks to lead a party forever like Khama is doing despite the fact that there are equally capable cadres who can lead, is undemocratic in equal measure!

The hypocrisy in Khama continues even with the way he uses social media and mainstream media today, the things he is so well-known for hating during his tenure as President of Botswana. During his time, he never gave the private press a breathing space, and it was during his tenure that government stopped advertising with private media. Today he is quick to give interviews, as long as they give him a platform to attack Masisi and his government. Even the things he often posts on social media, like saying there is no more freedom of expression in Botswana under Masisi, describe exactly how things were under his rule. It was fascinating recently that just after he posted that there was suppression of the media under the current regime, the leadership of the Editor’s Forum in the country hinted at the opposite, acknowledging that things were better under Masisi albeit with room for improvement.

In his diatribe towards Masisi in the interview with Ncube,

Khama said that, “We in Botswana for a long time thought we were immune from what we have seen in some parts of the continent - leaders who are driven by greed, corruption, selfinterest, undermining democracy; assuming that being in office, or being in power is only about themselves and not thinking about the people they are supposed to lead. We have been hit by this tsunami in Botswana.”

Khama, who often accuses his successor of being power hungry, continued:

“Why is it that on our continent, there are those who want incumbency to be entrenched where we have got leaders who go on forever?’’ wondered Khama, despite having himself sought to retain authority in the BPF and the ruling party even after retirement.

Khama has the dubious history of being the first BDP leader and Head of State to leave the party soon after retirement to join hands with the opposition. Insiders say that Khama also wanted to continue running the BPF behind the scenes; a thing which has led to bitter factionalism in the BPF. It remains to be seen whether efforts to reconcile the two factions will bear fruit. By press time, the fight between the two BPF factions had reached the courts. Reliable sources in the UDC aver that Khama, who is described by some as difficult, has already lost favour within some in the UDC leadership. Ironically, this may deny the BPF a partnership in the opposition coalition. Many within the opposition ranks are already feeling uneasy working with him as they feel he is always surronding himself with controversy. Many want him to just leave politics and retire in peace. “I was hoping for his retirement after the abysmal performance at the 2019 general elections. There are 19 constituencies in the Central District in which Khama is the Paramount Chief.

“If he was as popular as he wants people to believe, his party would have won more than the three constituencies the party won, which constituencies are all in Serowe. His continued controversy could dim his legacy in general and in politics in particular,” said a former MP from the Central District, who is himself a Mongwato. He believes that Khama’s popularity will likely decline as more and more people realise that he is a controversial person.