There is a persistent rumour about Ian Khama that goes something like this: sometimes, during his decade as president of Botswana, when the burden and the shackles of high office became too much, he would ditch his security, get in his car and drive alone at night and at speed on the empty roads outside Gaborone. The story spoke to many of the traits that made Khama such an unusual, enigmatic leader: his single-minded dedication to the job; the enduring love of speed and adventure, as befits a qualified pilot; his reputation for doing things his way, and on his own, even if that often made him a lonely and occasionally disliked — although always respected — figure on the continental stage. Last week, the Mail & Guardian had a chance to put this rumour to Khama himself. As president, he was not always accessible to journalists. Now that he is out of office, and cannot call on state media to push his agenda, he is courting attention. On this particular Friday, he could be found in a boardroom in the private plane terminal at Lanseria Airport, telling a carefully co-ordinated stream of South African journalists why he is unhappy…