UDC defends Boko’s late coming habit
One of the characteristics of the president of both the Botswana National Front ( BNF) and Umbrella for Democratic Change ( UDC), Duma Boko, who chairs the executive and central committee meetings of both the BNF and UDC, is his penchant for coming late to party activities.
The UDC president did not disappoint over the past weekend at a rally in Mapoka in aid of the MapokaNlapkhwane by- election, scheduled for 29th April. By the time he arrived, which was around 5pm, some in the gathering had been complaining that the president was not on sight, three hours after the official time.
By the time the UDC leader concluded his speech, it was very dark and those without their own vehicles were visibly anxious to get transport home. The fact that it was a cold evening did not help matters. Reached for comment, the spokesperson of UDC, Moeti Mohwasa, absolved his president of any wrong doing. “The President does not make arrangements and logistics work. If he comes early and runs around while preparations are ongoing, he will be accused of centralising power. The President is told when to come. If anything, criticise the organisers. For instance, he arrived from Gaborone on Friday solely for the rally, meaning he had long availed himself for the rally. I am wondering why you call this ’ legendary late coming’ if the purpose of the article is not to be spiteful. The whole thing distorts what transpired in Mapoka.” Some who have worked close to Boko, however have different stories to tell: “I have served with Boko in the BNF and UDC structures for a considerable length of time and he was always late for meetings. For the whole duration that I served with him, there is not a day that he did not come late. What is particularly disconcerting is that he lacks the humility to apologise for coming late,” said a former BNF member, preferring anonymity.
“We are not an organisation that runs our affairs through the media. We can only invite you to pitch up at the venues of our meetings to verify if indeed what your sources allege is true,” Mohwasa shot back. As the leader of the two political entities, Boko also officiates at their conferences and congresses including a host of other events he gets invited to. Boko, who is a former Member of Parliament ( MP) and Leader of the Opposition ( LOO) has officiated at trade union gatherings, among other events.