(MISA/IFEX) – Minister of Presidential Affairs and Public Administration Daniel Kwelagobe recently lambasted reporters from state-owned Botswana Television (BTV) for airing what he termed “insults” uttered by Neo Mothlabane, leader of the opposition Botswana People’s Party, at the “kgotla” (traditional court) in the town of Molepolole. The minister explained that the reporters should have edited […]
(MISA/IFEX) – Minister of Presidential Affairs and Public Administration Daniel Kwelagobe recently lambasted reporters from state-owned Botswana Television (BTV) for airing what he termed “insults” uttered by Neo Mothlabane, leader of the opposition Botswana People’s Party, at the “kgotla” (traditional court) in the town of Molepolole.
The minister explained that the reporters should have edited out the offending parts of the tape. He urged them to sanitise what they report to the public and added that the words “denigrated the person of President Festus Mogae.”
Kwelagobe’s sentiments over BTV reporters was condemned by some sectors of civil society, including MISA-Botswana, which believes the minister was interfering with the media. MISA-Botswana National Director Modise Maphanyane told a news team from Gabz FM radio that his organisation does not condone the interference from the minister and urged Kwelagobe to allow the media to work independently.
However, Kwelagobe launched another scathing attack on the private media in Parliament, for what he called “sensationalism and lack of in-depth reporting on the ongoing tribal debate.” The minister was responding to comments by members of parliament about the Revised Draft Government White Paper on the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the Constitution of Botswana.
The minister expressed his belief that the scope of news coverage for state media and the private press is not the same. He said state media act as “a tool for nation building” while private media outlets are “driven by business motives.”
