Coalition affiliates start parallel campaign
Despite the fact that the Botswana Congress Party ( BCP) and Botswana National Front ( BNF) are affiliates of the Umbrella for Democratic Change ( UDC), which should collaborate and not compete, the two are facing off in a by- election scheduled for next month.
This follows failure by the two to agree on who between them qualifies to field a candidate on behalf of the collective.
There are fears that the confusion may not only negate the whole objective of the coalition project, which is to avoid vote splitting by the opposition parties. It might also deepen the already palpable tensions between the two UDC members.
“The situation is not a good one and I personally do not like it. It is not the most ideal situation but the two parties must do the best they can not to escalate but de- escalate the situation.
The UDC must discuss the anomaly immediately after the by- election and come out with systems that will avoid something of this nature in future,” said Mankie Sekete of the BNF, who added that, in her campaign, she will do everything possible to ensure that matters do not come to a head.
“My approach will be to address the many issues that bedevil the ward. I will not talk about anybody or any other party except the UDC policies which are the only ones that can meaningfully address the problems faced by the people of Bophirima,” said Sekete, who served the ward as a specially elected councillor from 2014 to 2019.
One of her challenges is that her team has to trace those who may have since relocated due to various reasons.
“Many of the voters are tenants and have relocated. That means not only finding them but also ensuring that all have valid identity cards and able to vote,” she explained. On why she thinks she is the right person for the job, Sekete said, “I have worked with this community for years as a member of the Ward Development Committee ( WDC) and later as a councillor. As a former councillor, I have a lot of experience. Most importantly, the people know me very well,” said Sekete.
Peter Mogapi of the BCP also believes he is the right candidate. “I am confident of a clear win because I have been on the ground campaigning for some time now.
The people know me well. In fact, I contested the 2014 general election and did well although I did not win. I could have probably won in 2019 but was denied candidacy.
This disappointed many people and I am confident they are ready to send me to council. In fact, the voters were angry with me for not contesting then,” claimed Mogapi.
When asked why he did not contest the 2019 elections, Mogapi said, “I was ambushed,’’ before adding that, the BCP President, Dumelang Saleshando, asked him to give way for the sake of peace in the UDC. Mogapi, who is evidently unhappy with the BNF and its leadership, complained that with respect to Bophirima, the BNF has been masquerading as the UDC.
The decision to field a BNF candidate is not the outcome of any consultation process but a unilateral decision by the BNF leadership, he says. “This is my time because, for a long time the community has not had a quality leader.
Hence they are looking for a candidate who can take them somewhere in terms of development,” he stated, adding that he is in good terms with Sekete.
Although he is happy that the ward is small and densely populated, making it unnecessary to drive around, his nightmare is that the people are highly mobile due to the fact that the majority were living in the constituency as tenants who might have relocated elsewhere in Gaborone. Others have relocated to their home villages.
Meanwhile, when asked whether the divisions at Bophirima would not cause confusions considering the fact that the two UDC affiliates may hold rallies at the same time, the Head of Communications, Moeti Mohwasa, responded:
“The UDC has taken a decision regarding the ward in terms of who should contest hence there is no need for confusion,” said Mohwasa.