Kavis Kario

"I have this morning tendered my resignation from the position of secretary-general of the Botswana Democratic Party, effective immediately. I would like to apologise to members of the BDP and the people of Botswana for my part in leading the party to its first electoral loss since 1965 thereby interrupting a 58-year legacy of government bequeathed to us by Sir Seretse Khama, Sir Ketumile Masire and other founders of the BDP."

"To our people back home in Ngami, words may not suffice to express my gratitude for the love you gave me.""

"Our Party has in its many years of existence accrued a national footprint and insurmountable goodwill that should see us easily reclaim government. With the right mindset and personnel at the helm, the BDP will be back to glory days in no time.”"

"I can only share the date and any other issue should be addressed to the region."

"As we speak, the Cabinet has not been completely formed. Parliament has not yet convened and I do not know what informs the minds of those who say the BDP will not bounce back. To me, talk of the extinction of the BDP is just conjecture. We first need to assess the extent to which the BDP will regroup, reorganise and refocus, the kind of the new leader it will have before passing judgments."

"If the new leader of the BDP is a unifier who will also adjust and revitalise all the party structures, from the bottom to the top, then I am of the view that the party has good prospects of making a strong showing in the 2029 elections. If the new party leader and those who will be elected into various leadership positions of the party work very well with critical stakeholders such as trade unions, then it is difficult for now to write the BDP off. Nothing has just started."

"This on its own shows positive energy that our members want their party to redeem itself. They want the party to adapt to the current situation and regroup, reorganise and refocus. Were it not for the current First Past the Post System, the BDP could be the second biggest party in the country after the UDC. Numbers show that the BDP was voted by many people after the UDC,”"

"There is a need for gender-based violence activists to be visible."

"It is essential for the society to change from the habit of teaching the boy-child that a man is supposed to be tough, but that crying is part of healing."