WHEN KOOSALETSE’S FUNERAL TURNED BNF FREEDOM SQUARE

May the soul of Botswana National Front’s (BNF) politican and former MP Otlaadisa Koosaletse rest in peace. He was laid to rest over the past weekend in Kanye and sadly, what is trending right now about his funeral is neither the words of comfort to the family nor anecdotes of the beautiful things he has done for this country. Instead, all talk has been about the evidently angry response the BNF leader Duma Boko gave to another BNF politician and former MP, Mokgweetsi

Kgosipula who had stood to remember the late Koosaletse and shared some of the things they last spoke about. Kgosipula shared that some of Koosaletse’s wishes when they last spoke, was for issues of political funding and state capture to be approached with care – that the late Koosaletse had warned against confusing party funding with state capture. Nobody read much into Koosaletse’s purported words as narrated by Kgosipula until it was time for the BNF leader to speak.

Obviously incensed by the words tsa Moswi or the narrator, Boko through some very strong words tore to pieces any suggestions relating to what was said about Koosaletse’s wishes. He took time to explain why he could not agree with the late Koosaletse’s words and of anybody else discussing that topic of party funding and state capture, adding that in any case, the ruling party was already guilty of what the late former MP was trying to discourage. Concluding his attack with the BNF slogan and rally cry, he reminded everyone that he was not going to fear saying his own mind to ensure the truth prevails. It was almost like a political rally at some freedom square. The angry response has since left many debating the issue, some asking if it was necessary for Boko to respond in that fashion to mafoko a moswi, while others felt gore moswi o ne a akelwa! Overall, it was quite some scary episode for a funeral, although with politicians, funerals usually turn battleground for political scuffles.