- “This is one issue that requires us to discuss and put to bed”
GAZETTE REPORTER
The MP for Ghanzi North, Noah Salakae, has urged the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) government to prioritise reconciliation between former presidents Ian Khama and Mokgweetsi Masisi.
Speaking in his response to President Duma Boko’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) recently, Salakae – who is also the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure – said the prolonged conflict is having a detrimental impact on the nation, including job losses and political instability.
“This is one issue that requires us to discuss and put to bed,” he stated.
Mohwasa’s efforts
His comments follow efforts by Minister of State, Moeti Mohwasa, who visited former president Khama last month. While details of the meeting remain undisclosed, sources say it focused on possible steps to ease tensions between the two men.
Mohwasa is also expected to meet President Masisi as part of an ongoing process.
In Luanda
The last notable attempt at their reconciliation was by Angolan president João Lourenço in Luanda in December 2023 but he did not succeed in bringing the two face to face.
The feud between the former presidents has impacted Botswana’s political landscape since 2018. What began as a routine transfer of power soon degenerated into a bitter conflict after Masisi reportedly reneged on a deal to name Khama’s younger brother, Tshekedi, vice president.
Khama’s expulsion from the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) and subsequent move to support the opposition Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) that he had helped form marked an unprecedented turning point.