Frustrated: Kabelo Mokgalajwe

Party shows support to coucillor from BDP as he battles corruption charges

The newly acquired Botswana National Front (BNF) councillor, Kabelo Mokgalajwe was expected to appear before the Broadhurst Magistrate court next week for corruption charges.

Mokgalajwe who was welcomed in the BNF fold this week at Oasis motel in Tlokweng with two other new members is facing several counts of corruption in which he is accused of obtaining money by false pretence through unscrupulous land dealings.

Confirming the accusations, Mokgalajwe who recently resigned from the ruling Botswana Democratic party (BDP) said that the cases have been dragging on since 2010 and all he has been doing was going for mention

“It is a political case. I am facing 7 counts of obtaining by false pretence. I am told that I cheated people by selling them land that did not belong to me. From 2010 I was a suspect in a matter that never really went to trial.
When I tried to speak some BDP leaders threatened me with prison,” Mokgalajwe explained in an interview early this week.

He admitted in the interview that he got into the land deal mess when he became a middleman in land dealings but denied that he cheated anyone.

“I am clean, that is why the D.C.E.C (Directorate of Corruption and Economic Crime) has taken long to build up a case against me. This is a fabricated matter and I can tell you that now that I have left the BDP, the case trial will start and an order would be made. But I have nothing to fear because I am clean. If I am convicted it would be a political punishment for leaving the ruling party,” Mokgalajwe charged

In press conference on Wednesday morning when he was welcomed into the BNF fold with two other members from Botswana Congress Party, Given Gombulane and Mooketsi Ramasedi, Mokgalajwe claimed that he left the BDP because it lacked tolerance.

“I wanted a place where I could speak more freely. At the BDP I was stopped from even pursuing a case against the Police who assaulted me,” Mokgalajwe further alleged.

He accused in particular the BDP Secretary General, Mpho Balopi and Kweneng regional Chairperson, Motlhophi Leo of forcing him out of the BDP.

“They frustrated me and I left the BDP with full knowledge that I have pending cases,” Mokgalajwe said.

He was responding to a question of whether he would not embarrass his new party if he was to be convicted of the alleged crime in the near future.

The BNF president, Duma Boko however assured Mokgalajwe of his support as he said the councillor was obviously “carrying the scars of the brutality of the BDP and the Khama regime.”

As a human rights activist and lawyer Boko said if needed he would rise to the occasion to protect his new catch.

“We don’t doubt him. We in the BNF believe that everyone is innocent until proven guilty,” Boko stated.

Meanwhile the BDP secretary General, Mpho Balopi has denied accusations that he had frustrated and pushed the councillor from the BDP.

“It is true that I met the councillor together with the Kweneng Regional Chairperson because our constitutions require such action where there is conflict. We advised the councillor that he should live by example. The police had a case against him and he had a case against them and we advised him to cooperate with them because the complaint was that he wasn’t. We wanted him to cooperate with the police so that they can find a meeting place but we were not forcing him to do anything against his will,” he pointed out.

Balopi pointed out further that the BDP has a code of conduct, which every member and especially leaders should abide by.

“As the Secretary General one of my responsibilities is to attract membership to the party and there is no way I would want to chase people away,” Balopi explained.

Kabelo-Mokgalajwe