Taylor accuses Saleshando of stealing funeral project idea
‘He is a mad man’- Saleshando
A Maun-based politician, Golesedi Dylan Washington Taylor, has accused Maun West member of parliament, Dumelang Saleshando, of stealing his ideas and making them his own.
In a circulating audio, Taylor says he even fears for his life as Saleshando may kill him so that he can freely own his ideas, but Saleshando says all what Taylor is saying are words of a mad man.
Taylor, who was tested for sanity following the 2019 general elections owing to his outlandish opinions and bizarre ideas, has since been declared a mentally stable individual.
Airing his views through a recorded audio this week, Taylor said he had to find the means to reach the masses as he is often silenced and denied an opportunity to speak out in public forums.
He alleged he gave Saleshando his ideas book, called RNC Mission, two years ago when he was trying to get a buy in of political leaders to work together towards all opposition party coalition.
One of the ideas in the book, he said, is that of funeral aid where communities would contribute and buy needed utensils such as tents and chairs during bereavement and funerals of their family members.
He added that the idea was birthed following concerns that politicians, especially councillors and MPs, used bereavement gatherings for campaigns.
“They will come with their branded vehicles and in party colours to campaign at funerals and this did not look good at all, it was a moral wrong that needed to be corrected,” he said.
Taylor said he was shocked this week when he learnt that UDC is using his idea as campaign material ahead of the coming 2024 general elections and left him without credit for his idea.
“Just yesterday, they were at Moeti ward to launch that idea. They have hijacked it!” added Tylor as he put all the blame on Saleshando, whom he said is in custody of his many other ideas that potentially can improve the livelihoods of Batswana.
“For the past two years, Saleshando has been dodgy, he avoids meeting with me because he wants Batswana to believe that he owns these ideas. I am not against opposition but each time I try to speak at kgotla meetings Saleshando will order them not to give me that chance, they even use police officers to throw me out. many people in Moeti know about this,” Taylor alleged before further expressing his mistrust of Saleshando.
“I don’t know what his plans are, he may even kill me. If anything happens to me or I die, Saleshando has to be the first suspect,” he said.
In response, Saleshando stated that Taylor should report him to the police if he is so suspicious of him, “He is talking madness, he has a mental problem,” said Saleshando, who was not even present at the launch of the funeral project which was done by UDC councillor for Moeti ward, Botshelobokae Ramasu.
Ramusu explained that neither did she get the idea from Saleshando nor the UDC.
“It is my idea as Moeti ward councillor to say look, BDF (Botswana Defence Force) used to lend people tents during bereavement out of compassion, but things have changed, these things are no longer happening. So, I gave them the idea that every family may contribute and we buy tents and probably chairs as well for use during these times.”
Ramasu’s idea is that the utensils and equipment would then be kept under the care of the Village Development Committee, (VDC), “This is for the interest of Moeti community, nothing to do with politics or UDC.”