Baledzi Gaolathe

"In the case of Zimbabwe, what we intend to do is try our best to persuade organisations that are capable of helping like the World Bank and IMF to make a meaningful contribution.."

"To throw away our stand would amount to the abandonment of our core values. We will have given up what we can become, as a people."

"I don’t think nor believe that my friend has struggled against the President nor the constitution of Botswana. Neither of us has seen the unfolding of this matter in those terms, but that is a matter that deserves to be treated on its own on another day."

"The fear of backlash from some in our own party or the fear of further punishment should not cause us to abandon the ideals that attracted us to the BDP. Fairness, integrity, firmness, collective democracy, truth and service are some of the ideals that we have promised to uphold and continue to uphold."

"Don’t forget that my family is well represented in the public space. There is no need for me to be on the news."

"Ours is not a war on individuals."

"It is a direct and fair challenge on decisions we believe contravene the spirit of our democratic tradition. It is not a disrespect for our leadership; it is the honouring of the teachings of our elders. It is not empty defiance; it is a stand on the firm foundations that form the promise of an uplifting future for generations to come. It is not a selfish quest to thrust a colleague onto the corridors of power; it is a patient faith in which our colleague and candidate is aware he may lose both the case and the opportunity to serve in parliament. It is not an abandonment of the ways our great movement, the BDP; it is a revival of the high vows of our part."

"We lost the first case but we must not impugn the integrity of our judiciary ÔÇô they are learned, experienced and wise old men and women that deserve our respect. Our values mean we cannot allow resentment and bitterness to corrode the force of our good intents. We will not lose hope. We do not see ourselves as victims but as stewards. We will not tire, because all that is right will outlast even the mountains. And we will not mourn in defeat, or be triumphalist in victory."

"What pained me, of course, was to see a young luminary portrayed in ways other than in terms of the talent, character and hope that he represents."

"Holding a position in the BDP or in party politics has never been a driving force behind Motswaledi’s vision. His aspiration is to serve, like a true servant, the people of Botswana on or out of an office platform. His future, that of potential service to the people of Botswana has escalated in its glow."

"I have done community service everywhere I have been. I organised classes in general knowledge, life skills and mathematics. I am planning to institutionalise the community service format and replicate it in other parts of Botswana"

"Self-discipline and self-belief remain gaps that we need to work on to realise our full potential as a generation, both of which are within reach."