Women endure the most of lack of political funding
Opposition politicians join BDP because of elections debts Broke women are used and dumped after elections Bribery makes politics expensive
Female politicians say the political battleground has increasingly become expensive and not many women will be able to stomach it much longer. They ask for government to urgently consider funding women politicians in an effort to increase female representation in politics.
Currently there are seven women in parliament; three were voted during the 2019 general election while four were specially elected by the country president. On the contrary, there are 56 men in parliament.
Veteran politician, Abigail Mogalakwe of the Umbrella for Democratic Change ( UDC) says the biggest monster in the room remains lack of funding for women.
In an interview with Botswana Guardian, Mogalakwe said she has not had it easy since joining politics back in 2004. One of her toughest assignments at the time was when she had to battle it out with the late Mompati Merafhe - a Botswana Democratic Party heavyweight who has been a cabinet minister for quite some time. It was during that time that she fastened her belt to give Merafhe a run for his money. Many had anticipated a walk in the park for Merafhe but she put on her brave hat and focused on the task at hand, breaking stereotypes and proving women were as equally capable.
Though she would later lose to the former vice president, she walked out with her head held high, convinced that she had left an impressive mark in the hearts of her doubters. In 2012, she was back at it but still did not make it. It was only in 2019 that she won Mahalapye South ward as a councillor, a position that she still holds. She is also the national chairperson of Botswana National Front ( BNF) and she will be contesting for the party vice presidency title at the next elective congress expected this year. Throughout her journey, Mogalakwe was spending from her own pocket. “I was fortunate to have a supportive partner who was equally interested in politics so it made things much easier. But what I have realised is that nowadays politicians spend a lot, a council candidate’s budget can balloon to over P50 000,” she said. Such huge amounts she said scare off women, wondering about their starting point. Adding that in some cases men hold the keys to the family finances, making it hard for some women to convince their spouses to finance their political career. Theresa Mmolawa of Alliance for Progressives ( AP) who lost to Buti Billy in 2019 said the political battleground has been polluted and spoilt by bribery. It is not easy for women to compete fairly against men because the latter are big spenders. “It is easy for most men to splash their last P2 000 on voters but a woman cannot do that. Naturally, she will think of her children first and weigh all options but not many men can do that, they leave such issues to women to worry about,” Mmolawa said. She noted that everything to do with campaigns is expensive; this includes posters, T- shirts, fuel costs and PA systems. Not forgetting a little thank you or appreciation for those in the candidate’s campaign team. In fact, when one is vying for a parliament seat, councillors of that ward look up to the aspiring MP to finance them, thus doubling costs.
She added that this is one of the reasons why opposition politicians are quick to join the ruling party. Because after the elections, many are left drowning in debts and instead of enjoying their money, they are forced to pay up. When they are promised that all their debts will be cleared and offered all the luxuries of this world, they are quick to cross over. She said that it is high time government financed not only women but all political parties, that way the playing field will be equal. Currently she said sponsors are scared to associate with opposition parties because they know that the ruling party can easily make life difficult for them after the elections. Mmolawa also expressed disappointment in those politicians who use women during campaign period only to dump and forget about them all together after the elections. Candidates even attend funerals at their home villages, something that stops immediately after assuming power.
Then voters start harassing those candidates who lost elections by asking for favours and assistance.
“When you ask why they are not seeking help from their MP or councillor, they respond by saying those are nowhere to be seen. Yet when election year comes, they vote such people back into power again, there is serious need for political education,” she said.
AP’s women wing chairperson, Helen Manyeneng added that there is no funding at all for opposition politicians yet there is no politics without money. “I raised money through stokvel schemes and begged for donations from my trusted business friends. This has been a concern from way back, there is need for political funding and for us to be allowed to source funds from anywhere in the world without fear,” she said. Asked to explain further, Manyeneng said Duma Boko of UDC had sourced funding from one of South Africa‘ s rich men in Zunaid Moti and a lot was said about it however, the Botswana Democratic Party ( BDP) is getting funding from Indians and even the Chinese.
Chairperson of the BDP women’s wing, also councillor for Tsogang Ward in Gaborone North constituency Veronica Unami Lesole added that they are equally disturbed by the lack of funding for women politicians. Admitting that if there was such, more women would be motivated to step forward but as it stands, many are disqualified by dry coffers. “When one wants to contest for primary elections they have to fork out P2 500 for council candidature or P5 000 for a parliamentary seat. Honestly this can be a bit too much for an ordinary woman who is not even working and does not have a partner to support her,” she said.
Councillor Lesole shared that perhaps what worked for her was that she had a job which enabled her to host tea meetings with voters and sell her dream to them. She was also able to cook lunch and buy airtime for her campaign team as a token of appreciation for the work they were doing for her. She noted that as a member of the ruling party, they are very fortunate in the sense that the party is able to finance other costs during election year. BDP funded part of their campaign strategies back in 2014 and also in 2019. Lesole said that the funds went a long way in ensuring that they reach as many people as possible.
In response, the Independent Electoral Commission ( IEC) Manager Elections Affairs and Field Operations Dintle Rapoo said that political funding is one of the issues that were raised by stakeholders back in 2020 and is currently on the table.
They hosted a workshop after the 2019 general election in an attempt to get feedback from all stakeholders. Rapoo explained that all their recommendations have been forwarded to the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration and they expect the matter to be discussed at cabinet level.