BUTALE LATEST POLITICIAN IN PUBLIC SEX SCANDAL
4 in sex scandals in the past 5 years
President of Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) Biggie Butale finds himself at the centre of a violent storm that threatens to chew and spit him out into the wilderness.
An alleged sex scandal hangs over his head and like many other leaders once implicated in sex escapades, swimming out of an ocean full of sharks without a few scratches is unlikely.
Already, the BPF National Executive Committee (NEC) is calling for him to temporarily step down as party president in order to clear his name.
The current BPF constitution does not give NEC any powers to suspend its president. They can only hope that Butale will agree to their request failing which they will have to wait for the elective congress to remove him from power.
At the time of writing, Butale had not communicated clearly whether he would step down or not. While he said accusations levelled against him were false and that he remains at the helm, he further stated that he must account for failing to keep his guard up. “It is for this reason that without reservation, I wish to convey a public apology to my wife. I am profusely sorry to the woman who has been all things to me in all circumstances.”
“I will abide by all constitutional sanctions taken against me by structures so empowered by the constitution”, Butale said.
Meanwhile the BPF is visibly divided on the matter, including members of the BPF (NEC).
There are those who sternly believe that the Butale saga is a well-orchestrated plan to oust him while others are torn between standing with their
president and believing the young lady’s version of events that she was sexually violated.
Meanwhile the public is equally watching with a hawk’s eye the unfolding events. As a leader, pastor, father and husband, Butale is currently walking on eggshells and there is no telling what the future holds for him in the cutthroat world of politics.
This begs the questions, is Butale’s time up? Do the sexual misconduct allegations mark the end of the road for him as BPF president? What will be left of his political career once the dust settles?
Having dumped the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) for BPF ahead of the 2019 general elections, there might not be much left on the table for the former Assistant Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry.
As things stand, it will only be by sheer luck that Butale dodges the political sword currently aimed at his head.
Political Science and Public Administration lecturer at the University of Botswana Mokaloba Mokaloba advises Butale to come out and clear his name. He says there are many loopholes that need his intervention.
“This is a three-legged story and he is missing in action, he needs to find a way to clear his name because it is not looking good for him from all angles”, Mokaloba said.
Mokaloba thinks that the BPF might have somewhat overstepped when dealing with Butale’s issue.
“The party has taken lead ahead of the police, this matter should be handled by the police but the party broke the news to the public saying they will be investigating the matter.
“I understand that the party’s reputation is at stake but the story is now more about the party and Butale’s position more than anything else” Mokaloba said.
By Tuesday afternoon, police spokesperson Near Bagali was not aware of any case involving sexual allegations against Butale. POLITICIANS AND SEX SCANDALS
In the last five years, four highranking political figures have been publicly fingered in sexual misconduct cases.
The latest is Butale. Investigations into the matter have just begun at party level and will decide his political fate.
Just recently, Polson Majaga of Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) was accused of defiling and impregnating an underage girl of Malelejwe cattle post in the North East District.
He was exonerated from the charges in March 2021 after court ruled that there was no sufficient evidence linking Majaga to the allegations.
Majaga had all along protested his innocence, claiming the allegation were part of a grand political witchhunt to take him down.
Majaga endured a year-long suspension from BDP and was only reinstated after the court set him free.
Another scandal was that of former Gaborone City Mayor Kagiso Thutlwe in 2018. He was accused of raping Sesame Nakedi, a Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD) activist. The charges against Thutlwe were later dropped.
In 2016, another incident that set tongues wagging was that of former Sebina village Councillor Kemmonye Amon who was accused of impregnating a 16 year old girl.
In a leaked social media conversation, Kemmonye was seen sharing the news with the then assistant minister of Education Fidelis Molao.
Both Molao and Amon denied the allegations, saying the conversation was fabricated to tarnish their names. In the end, no charges were laid against Amon because he allegedly impregnated a girl who was of consenting age.
Mokaloba said that there is need to openly talk about this ugly topic and stop avoiding it.
“If we continue like this, things are most likely to get worse. Structures and measures need to be put in place, if not, people will continue taking advantage, others manipulating victims to settle scores while some will always go unreported”, he said.