USED AND DUMPED
Hunger for power by opposition leaders a hindrance to removing BDP
Veteran politician decries poor welfare of retire politicians
Veteran politician and former councilor for Tati Siding, who also doubled as Chairman of the North East District Council (NEDC), Kopano Maruping, is troubled by the welfare of retired politicians particularly councillors. He also worries that for as long as opposition political leaders remain as power hungry as they appear today, a united front powerful enough to oust the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) is a pipe dream.
This is a man not so wellknown in local politics but has the experience and history many should envy, having learnt politics from the tried and tested movements of African politics. Maruping, a native of Bobonong who was born in Francistown in 1943, cut his political teeth in Zimbabwe and later Zambia before returning to Botswana.
“My father worked for the Monarch gold mines in Francistown and after marrying my mother, they lived in Francistown where I was born. We later moved to Bobonong where I completed my primary school,” he explained.
Maruping’s maternal uncle, who had done carpentry and brick laying in Zimbabwe and was back in Botswana working, took his then fresh-faced and lanky nephew to the same training school in Zimbabwe.
“This was at the height of the liberation war in that country. As youth, we were fond of attending political rallies of the nationalist organisations such as the Zimbabwe African Peoples Union (ZAPU) and the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU).
This attracted the attention of the colonial authorities who ordered Maruping and the other foreigners, to leave the country. Without a passport, Maruping could not cross into Botswana but could cross to Zambia.
At the time, Zambia and Zimbabwe were part of a federation, which included Malawi. It was therefore easy to cross from one member of the federation to the other even without a passport.
“Instead of returning to Botswana, I crossed to Zambia where I continued, alongside the others and attended political rallies by both Zambian and Zimbabwean nationalist leaders in Zambia. “I read the manifestos of the various parties as well as the unions. Upon completing my course, I worked in Zambia before returning to Botswana.
“I was politically conscious and the only party that I thought had progressive ideas was the pan-Africanist Botswana Peoples’ Party (BPP), which I later joined after a stint as a public servant,” Maruping reminisced.
Maruping felt that the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) was too close to the colonialists at the time. It was considered reactionary and generally despised throughout Africa.
Upon arrival in Botswana, he worked for the Public Works Department, a government department.
The political veteran would in 1976 leave government employment and officially joined the BPP. “In 1984 I ran for political office and won as Tati Siding ward councillor doubling also as deputy council chairperson with Kenneth Nkhwa, who had lost his bid to the North East constituency Member of Parliament to Chapson Butale of the BDP as the chairman,” Maruping explained.
After losing to Butale in 1979, Nkhwa, who had been area MP since independence, was nominated specially-elected councillor. It was not long before the socialist-oriented Maruping walked away from his political convictions and joined the ruling BDP.
“Chapson Butale cornered me. He told me that if I wanted developments in my ward, I should join the BDP. He gave me the examples of places such as Tlokweng and Mogoditshane, which were developing fast and promised me that, should I join the ruling party, my ward would develop likewise.
“I joined the BDP and sure enough as you are aware, Tati Siding immediately realised exponential infrastructural developments. In no time, we got electricity and tarred roads,” revealed Maruping, who is glad Butale delivered on his pledge.
“After Butale’s death in 2006, I intended to return to the BPP but changed my mind and joined the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) instead. However, I have since retired from active politics.
“All I do now is act as an adviser whenever my counsel is needed. I have contributed to the success of some at the polls,” Maruping said.
His view is that the standard of education of a leader should not be a big issue in local politics. “It is true that the standard of education of a leader matters but my view is that the character of a leader matters more than anything else.”
On opposition cooperation, he said that the biggest challenge is love for power among political leaders.
“If our leaders were selfless, the project would achieve something. Love for power and partisan interests stand in the way of progress. Our leaders should be animated by the interests and needs of the people and not theirs,” opined the political veteran, who warned that without a paradigm shift, the opposition will always break up.
Maruping wants the opposition to mature and free themselves from partisan and tribal interests. He reiterated the old and abiding problem of the welfare of councillors.
“Our welfare leaves much to be desired. Some among us have become destitute. This unfortunate situation is an indication that as a country, we do not respect our leaders,” Maruping said in an interview.