Former Botswana president says Bridgette Motsepe-Radebe offered 'moral support' during trying time

12 December 2019 - 17:25 By Belinda Pheto
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Former Botswana president Ian Khama speaking in Johannesburg on Thursday. He denied any 'romantic relationship' with Bridgette Motsepe-Radebe, wife of former minister Jeff Radebe.
Former Botswana president Ian Khama speaking in Johannesburg on Thursday. He denied any 'romantic relationship' with Bridgette Motsepe-Radebe, wife of former minister Jeff Radebe.
Image: Belinda Pheto

Former president of Botswana Ian Khama has rubbished claims he was ever romantically involved with businesswoman Bridgette Motsepe-Radebe.

Khama said in an interview with TimesLIVE on Thursday that he had known Motsepe-Radebe for many years and when he was going through a trying time, she was there to give moral support.

Khama dramatically resigned in May from the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) which has held power since 1966 - and backed the Botswana Patriotic Front, a new party that broke away from the governing BDP.

“She was there for me as a family friend. What is surprising about the allegation of us being romantically involved is that there is no proof to support it. There are no photos of us where we are in a compromising position or having a romantic dinner. In this age of social media, that could have gone viral already. Someone should have seen us and snapped us,” said Khama.

The former president said he could only conclude that Motsepe-Radebe was being targeted because his detractors were trying to discredit anyone seen to be associated with him.

Khama said he had to leave the BDP because it no longer represented the same values as before. He added that it was painful as Botswana was suffering a great deal of reputational damage.

“Botswana has been a shining example of a thriving democracy in the continent and it’s sad to see what is happening at the moment.”

Khama is facing corruption allegations after Jako Hubona, an investigator employed by the directorate of corruption and economic crime, accused him and former intelligence chief Isaac Kgosi of instructing the Bank of Botswana to create three special accounts in 2008.

According to an affidavit penned by Hubona, the funds were transferred to HSBC bank in Hong Kong in 2009 and later transferred through various offshore accounts around the world. In 2015 they were allegedly transferred to SA bank accounts.

“You can just see that these charges are trumped [up]. Why is there no one from the Bank of Botswana charged? I mean if someone opened accounts illegally, surely they should be charged,” he said.

Khama said according to his knowledge, no funds were ever reported missing from the Bank of Botswana.

"It’s really painful and disappointing to see Botswana’s reputation which predecessors worked tirelessly on for more than 50 years," he said.

Motsepe-Radebe was accused of being in cahoots with Khama and being a signatory to an account into which money was allegedly deposited to sponsor terrorism in Botswana.

Motsepe-Radebe has vehemently denied the allegations and, in November, said three SA banks had confirmed she was not a signatory to bank accounts allegedly set up for illicit money flows to effect regime change in Botswana.

Motsepe-Radebe was drawn into the controversy by claims contained in an affidavit before the courts in the so-called “Butterfly” case against former directorate of intelligence and security services agent Welhemina Mphoeng Maswabi.


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