- Majaga allegedly demolished a house he had built for a girlfriend when the relationship turned sour
- The controversial politician once caused considerable brouhaha when he resisted calls to resign
SESUPO RANTSIMAKO
The Botswana Police Service (BPS) has arrested the MP for Nata/Gweta Polson Majaga and are investigating him for allegations of threat to kill.
Confirming the arrest of the controversial MP, the spokesman of BPS Dipheko Motube said Majaga was arrested on Monday this week after a certain woman believed to be his friend opened a case of threat to kill against him in Gaborone.
“I can confirm that we currently have Majaga for questioning following reports of threat to kill by a woman believed to be his friend,” he said. “He is currently under police interrogation in Gaborone. If the investigations confirm the allegations action will be taken accordingly.”
Hoarded headlines
However, Motube said he was not in a position to say where the legislator is being held. “I cannot say if he is still in detention or not. What I can only confirm is that he is currently under police interrogation in Gaborone.”
Majaga recently hoarded headlines for allegedly demolishing a house that he had built for an ex-girlfriend in Hubona Village. It is said Majaga built the house while he was still in a relationship with the woman but demolished the house in frustration after things turned sour.
In an interview with The Botswana Gazette in Nata recently, Majaga dismissed the allegations as a smear campaign launched against him by his political rivals, saying he demolished the house because he wanted to extend it.
Not new to controversy
“This is a political witch-hunt by my political rivals who want to dent my political career,” he said. “If you demolish the unwanted parts of a house because you want to extend it, is that a problem?”
Majaga is not new to controversy, having once been dragged to court to answer charges of defilement that were eventually dropped and he was acquitted for lack of evidence.
The case had sparked a lot of attention in which civil society called for his resignation or leave of absence. At one point civil society used the MP for Tswapong South, Dr Kesitegile Gobotswang, to take its petition to Parliament.
Malice
Majaga responded by accusing civil society of malice and seeking to harm his reputation. He insisted that the case was sub-judice and therefore not up for public discussion. He also lashed out at Gobotswang for bringing the petition to Parliament.
“Gobotswang and his NGOs should know better that consideration of the same must be observed to allow proceedings of the court to unfold as they should instead of hijacking parliamentary process to define and injure my reputation to score cheap political points through devious means,” he said angrily.
The controversial politician neither resigned nor went on leave of absence and instead retorted that he was not sent to Parliament by NGOs but by the electorate.
Third time in a row
The MP for Nata/Gweta seems set to defend his seat for the third time in a row. He is expected to battle it out in the primary elections later this month against former MP Oliphant Mfa, who is now a specially nominated Sowa Town councillor, as well as against Mbanga Mbanga, Montshiwa Montshiwa and Dr Benjamin Radihepi.
It remains to be seen if the BD will use the case to vet him out of the running in accordance with President Mokgweetsi Masisi insistence on squeaky clean candidates.
After a list of confirmed BDP election candidates was released recently, Masisi said that more aspirants would be vetted out if there was something compelling.