How former President Khama fell out with his protégé in the African diamond nation

Ian Khama’s polite voice barely concealed the anger he felt.

In several interviews the former president of Botswana has given since 2019, when he began expressing dissatisfaction with his hand-picked successor, Mokgweetsi Masisi, he spoke of him in reprehensible words.

Masisi “drunk with power”, Khama told the BBC’s Focus on Africa programme five years ago.

Since then, the 71-year-old has lived in exile, spoken out about a plot to poison him and been charged in Botswana with a number of crimes including money laundering and illegal gun possession.

Having previously dismissed the charges as “fabricated”, last month he returned home and appeared in court for his first hearing.

Tensions between Khama and Masisi are likely to affect the diamond-rich country’s upcoming general election – just three weeks away – as the former president is actively campaigning for an opposition party.

During an even briefer court appearance on Tuesday, Khama was all smiles.

Authorities are now said to be considering whether the case should continue.

It’s very likely that things will stop now that Khama’s accomplices are no longer facing charges. But the court will not reconvene until a month after the election.

To outsiders, who may have a general feeling that Botswana is one of the continent’s most stable democracies with strong institutions, the dispute between the current and former presidents may seem surprising.

The Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) has governed since independence from the United Kingdom in 1966.

In a constituency-based system, they have dominated parliament for the past five decades even though their vote share in recent elections has hovered around 50%.

The country’s first president and Khama’s father, Sir Seretse Khama, came from royalty and helped cement Botswana’s reputation for orderly government during his 14 years in power until his death in 1980. .

His 1948 marriage to a white British woman, Ruth Williams, was controversial and led to his exile in England.

Ian Khama, the couple’s second child, has likened his recent time in South Africa to his father’s time away from Botswana.

After serving in the military, he went on to become president in 2008, serving for 10 years.

Despite the dynasty’s appeal, Khama’s government prevailed and in the 2014 election, the BDP won less than 50% of the vote for the first time.

Concerns about corruption, human rights and the state of the economy – with high unemployment – have all dented Khama’s credibility.

In the Ibrahim African Governance Index, sponsored by Sudanese telecommunications tycoon Mo Ibrahim, Botswana’s score fell during his time in power.

The country’s huge diamond reserves have proved lucrative and seen the economy grow, but have not created enough jobs for its young population and the wealth has not been spread widely.

In 2018, Khama handed over power to his loyal vice president, Masisi, perhaps hoping that he could still have some influence, but things soon turned sour.

One theory is that a gentleman agreed that Masisi would appoint Khama’s brother, Tshekedi, as vice president, but he refused to do so.

Khama began complaining that his security detail was being cut and that democracy within the BDP was being weakened.

Masisi also reversed several key policies such as a ban on trophy hunting put an end to skepticism about having closer ties with China.

A year after stepping down as president, Khama joined the newly formed opposition Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF), telling the BBC at the time that “the democracy we were once proud of in this country is now falling apart.” decline”.

He then went into exile in late 2021 amid allegations that there were threats to his life.

Masisi has rejected the criticism and earlier this year described the poisoning allegations as “shocking”.

“If you look at the history of murders or murders in Botswana and the methods used, poisoning is not one of the methods we know best, but recently he has [Khama] seems like an expert,” Masisi told France 24adding that the former president has nothing to fear.

Masisi also said that the arguments Khama used against his government and leadership were “a series of contradictions”.

There is absolutely no chance of reconciliation between the former allies and Khama is hoping to end 58 years in power of the BDP – the party his father helped found.

There are many opportunities to grab votes from the government as issues of underemployment and corruption allegations have also dogged the current administration.

Furthermore, the former president still commands much respect in the country, especially among older voters and in his home area around Serowe, where he is paramount chief and where the BPF puts forward weekend manifesto.

But Masisi and the BDP remain in a strong position, especially as the opposition is divided.

The October 30 election offers the Khama dynasty an opportunity to once again have an impact on the country’s future.