Defiant BPF activists say they will not be silenced

Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) activists who were recently arrested and detained by the DISS have vowed that they will not be deterred from mobilising and recruiting new members to join their party. The activists who were arrested are BPF Women's League Chairperson, Catherine Sepora and party cadre Ogaufi ‘Ratsie’ Nthobelang, UDC member Kamal Jacobs and Justice Motlhabani who works in the office of the Member of Parliament for Serowe South Leepetswe Lesedi. Addressing the media this Wednesday, the party Publicity Secretary, Lawrence Ookeditse said the current regime is in a panic mode as they have never found themselves in a position where they were out of their comfort zone before. He said as the bye-elections date approaches, BPF have seen a scale up in the level of harassment. “They are targeting our key activists to instill fear. What our activists post on social media is the truth, which is why they are harassed to be intimidated and silenced. President Masisi always lies publicly and my advice to the DISS is that they should arrest him first. There are also some DISS officers who create fake accounts to attack fellow citizens and spread lies, they must also be arrested for defamation. There are no charges against our activists. They were just detained and dispossessed of their cellphones.We are not going to be deterred,” said Ookeditse. Narrating her ordeal in the hands of security agents, Sepora said she was arrested on the 30th of November in Tonota and taken to DISS offices in Sebele for questioning. She said the first thing they wanted to know was who was the father of her son and how the son was related to the former president Khama? “I was puzzled. They asked me why I left the Botswana Democratic Party and who recruited me to join BPF. Why do I hate Masisi? Who are my friends at the BDP? they asked. As they were questioning me one of the officers came with a pile of print out of my Facebook posts, which I did not deny I posted. They picked a post and asked me who gave me such information. I was instructed to unlock my phone and they read my messages,” she said. Sepora said they went on to ask her how Khama skipped the country, where she was when Khama left and if she knew his whereabouts. She said they asked her to take them to where Khama is. She further revealed that as they were interrogating her, the DISS chief, Peter Magosi came in and told her the officers were just doing their job and asked her to tell them everything she knows about Khama. ‘I was made to write a statement about my Facebook posts. They took me to Mogoditshane police station and I spent a night in a holding cell. On Wednesday they gave me a phone to call my mother and my son. The other three Kamal, Motlhabani and Nthobelang were released and they booked accommodation for me in a hotel but the following day the DIS returned and told me that they were instructed to take me back to Tonota where I live,’ said Sepora.

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Defiant BPF activists say they will not be silenced

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