BCPWL betrays Bathusi

Botswana Congress Party Women’s League (BCPWL) has snubbed Daisy Bathusi in a recent nomination of candidates for vice presidency by endorsing a male politician, legislator Taolo Lucas for the position.

The decision was made recently in a tight nomination for candidates ahead of the party’s elective virtual congress billed for end of the month. The BCPWL might be entitled to its choice of candidates, but the organ has objectives that it has failed to meet.

The nominations also may not be the real elections, though are an indication of how BCPWL, the largest party organ by numbers, would possibly cast its votes. The BCP vice presidency is the highest position a woman politician has challenged in the party so far. In its decision to nominate a male, the BCPWL has failed dismally in its endeavour to empower women ahead of their dominant male counterparts under the belief that the male candidate is stronger than the female colleague.

The incumbent party vice president, Dr. Kesitegile Gobotswang who is also a legislator for SefhareRamokgonami, will not be available for re-election at the party’s virtual elective congress billed for July 29-August 1, 2021.

Information sourced from the BCPWL shows that Bathusi, formerly BCPWL president lost in a tight contest that saw six women against five nominating Lucas instead of backing one of their own. The BCPWL nominations meeting provided a litmus test for the women politicians, whose fight for equality seems to be just on paper whilst practically they do something else when they have to discharge their mandate.

The case of the BCPWL nominations is indicative of the reality that women’s worst enemy when it comes to elections for party positions is actually women themselves. Generally, women outnumber their male counterparts but men always prevail against them, which suggests that women do not vote for other women. On other BCPWL nominations, the position of chairperson went to Samuel Rantuana who got seven votes against Stephen Makhura’s four votes.

For the position of secretary general, Goretetse Kekgonegile was favoured with eight votes whilst Moncho Moncho got only three whilst for the position of deputy secretary general Tebogo Molefhe (woman) garnered nine votes against Refiloe Aphiri’s (woman) two votes.

As for the position of treasurer, Oral Mosedame got 10 votes against Samuel Mphoyakgosi’s single vote. The nominations are not the final position of voters, but they might have a strong bearing on whom to vote for especially that women have high numbers in the party to influence the direction of the final votes.

For the position of information and publicity, Professor Mpho Pheko is unopposed as she also appears on both lobby groups for Lucas and Bathusi campaign teams. BCPWL secretary general, Itumeleng Gabatshabe conceded this week that the women’s league recently met and nominated Lucas ahead of Bathusi, “as our general consideration was capability specifically for the position of the vice president and

not the gender card”.

She highlighted that Bathusi, as a politician is an asset; unfortunately, a decision was taken to consider Lucas for the position against her. “You may have realised that in our nominations for the position of vice president, it was a tight affair with a score of 6-5 votes in favour of Lucas and it tells a story that Bathusi after all wasn’t a pushover,” added Gabatshabe in an interview with Mmegi this week. Bathusi also said that if indeed her female party colleagues have done that, then they do not understand their mandate. To her, it is more of an embarrassment than anything as she has always considered the BCPWL to be more progressive as a party organ.

She added that the BCPWL’s decision is not only contrary to their mandate but also of the party. “That’s an embarrassment to the party. As the former BCPWL president, it’s also an indictment on me that we didn’t educate our people appropriately,” conceded Bathusi. She stressed that, “it’s the role of the BCPWL to empower and support women.” Bathusi was adamant that capacity building is one of the roles of the BCPWL leadership, “to ensure that they augment some of the competencies that they think I am lacking rather than writing me off.”

Meanwhile, the objectives of the BCPWL include organising the women in the BCP into a strong, powerful and formidable movement, which enjoys a considerable measure of autonomy in the Party

To mobilise and inculcate amongst women a spirit of self confidence and self reliance

To inculcate a political culture which enshrines democracy, accountability and participation in the decision-making processes within the party and society at large

To contribute towards the formulation of gender sensitive policies in the BCP aimed at promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women.

To ensure that the women in the BCP are equitably represented in the governance structures at party, national and international level.