WOMAN ON TOP
Solution to UDC political impasse close - Dr Nkoane
The new Botswana National Front Women’s League (BNFWL) President, Dr Bonang Nkoane is a woman on a mission. Part of her vision is to see women progress in all spheres through gender sensitive policies. In this interview with The Midweek Sun’s political reporter EDWARD BULE, she talks about her victory, roadmap and women progression.
Sun: Congratulations on your victory which places you at the helm of one of the most crucial structures of the Botswana National Front (BNF) - the BNF Women’s League as its president.
Dr Nkoane: Thank you very much, indeed as an auxiliary body to the BNF, the role of the Women’s League is to support the mother body, especially in addressing issues that directly affect women.
Sun: Briefly introduce yourself.
Dr Nkoane: Born of Peter Lekgowe and Serwalo Lekgowe in Thamaga, I am a mother of three, two girls and a boy. I turn 50 this year. I come from a large family of 10 siblings, eight surviving. Unfortunately, both my parents are no more. I am currently a senior lecturer of Analytical Chemistry at the University of Botswana, Chemistry Department, a position I have been holding since 2010. I obtained my PhD from the University of Botswana in 2006. The PhD programme was a sandwich model between the University of Botswana and University of Oslo, with University of Botswana as the awarding University. My first Degree was in Chemical Engineering (Bachelor of Engineering) from McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada. Upon graduation, I briefly worked for a few months at Debswana as a graduate engineer. I then joined Botswana Bureau of Standards (BOBS) where I worked from 1999 to 2006 after completion of my PhD in pursuit of a more challenging job.
From 2007 to 2008 I worked at Botswana Metal Refinery as a Section Manager Technical Services, responsible for research. Unfortunately, the metal refinery was closed. In 2009, I joined UB as a lecturer.
Sun: When did you join the BNF and what attracted you to the party?
Dr Nkoane: I officially joined BNF in 2013 as a life member. However, I have followed opposition politics from as far as I can remember. My father, who would later join the BNF, was an activist of Botswana People’s Party (BPP) in the 1970s while working at the Orapa mine. He retired in 1979 to assume his role as Kgosana of Malakana ward in Thamaga. Because of his role as a unifier he could not publicly declare his alliance to the BNF but those in the party leadership, then, in Thamaga knew and consulted him throughout but he remained a silent member. My father discouraged all his children from being active in politics. After the first UDC talks, I became a member of BNF and notified my father but he was still uncomfortable with the decision of me being active in politics. Throughout my youth, in the 1980s, I heard about Pamphlet No.1 and used to follow Dikgang tsa Palamente on the radio and heard how opposition members of parliament, the likes of Hon Paul Rantao, Hon Maitshwarelo Dabutha, Hon Joseph Kavindama and others, would advocate for developments without relenting.
Having tasted and seen poverty with my own eyes, the BNF philosophy has always made sense to me. The party advocated and still advocates for economic equity amongst Batswana. I still believe that there should not be a single Motswana who lives in abject poverty as we speak, given the resources that this country has versus the population of Botswana.
In the 1990s, the current MP of JwanengMabutsane, Mephato Reatile, became a close family friend. Whenever we met, he would talk about the BNF and its politics. That further strengthened my interest in the mighty BNF. He used to talk a lot about his ‘clarion call’ and little did I know that ‘my clarion call’ would come a few decades later. As they say, the rest is history.
Sun: Your win has not been accepted by all? Were there irregularities as far as you are concerned?
Dr Nkoane: Apart from reading in the newspapers, I am not aware of any official protest about the outcome of the elections. What I know and can confirm is that before the elections started, there was a protest brought forward by the other presidential candidate and it was handled by the elections committee where it was amicably resolved by consensus by both the lobby teams and party officials. As far as I am concerned, there are no issues.
Sun: Are you reaching out to those not happy with the election processes so that they may give you the support you need in the execution of your mandate? How has been their reaction?
Dr Nkoane: The BNF as an organisation comes before anyone of us. As the newly-elected Women’s League committee, we are committed to working with every one of the women of the Front. We are yet to co-opt three additional members.
We also will form subcommittees for most of the portfolios and many of those who lost during elections will be considered. Already, we have women of substance like Puni Sechele, who dropped out of the presidential race. We will use her extensively in the women empowerment programmes that we will come up with and she does not have a problem. We acknowledge that in any election there can only be one winner.
Sun: You are assuming leadership in the BNF when all indications are that the party has not been doing well for some time now. What do you intend to do as a party structure to help resuscitate the once mighty BNF?
Dr Nkoane: I feel this question of “BNF not doing well for some time now’’ is an exaggeration. We maintain that there was massive rigging in the 2019 general elections mainly in the BNFheld constituencies. It must be understood that for almost two years now, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, everything came to a standstill for everyone including the BNF. Immediately after gatherings were allowed in 2021, the BNF prepared congress. The Youth League (YL) congress will be held at the end of April. It will be followed by the central committee congress in July. All the three congresses are highly-contested including the central committee, where Dr Molatlhegi will challenge Advocate Duma Boko for presidency. Thousands of new members have been recruited into the BNF including important personalities. In the recent by-elections, the BNF won six wards under the UDC. The wards were won by the BDP in 2019. This feat is an indication that the 2019 general elections were rigged. Now, that to me does not sound like a party that is diminishing but one that is growing in leaps and bounds.
One of the major reasons of the existence of the auxiliary bodies such as the Women’s League (WL), is to assist BNF achieve its mandate. The BNF Women’s League is dedicated to assist the mother body in that regard. The major part of the population of Botswana is women and youth. This combination means that the two auxiliary bodies, WL ad YL become critical in growing the BNF. Therefore, one of the target markets for WL is young women. That is why the composition of the current committee cuts across all ages and is predominantly middle-aged women but has a few very young women and a few older women. It represents age-diversity as per the population of Botswana. BNFWL intends to have WL committees in all the 10 regions and have women committee structures in all its structures that is, constituency, ward, and cell.
Sun: Briefly share your roadmap?
Dr Nkoane: BNFWL will develop a strategic plan. It will start in May 2022. This strategy will feed into the motherbody strategy currently being developed. But amongst other things, it will join hands with other political parties including, the ruling party, and civil rights organisations to contribute meaningfully to the review of the 55-year-old Constitution of Botswana. Botswana Constitution is silent on gender issues compared to progressive Constitutions such as that of Zimbabwe, which was reviewed in 2013, Namibia reviewed in 1990 and South Africa in 1996. A Constitution that is inclusive and explicit on gender issues is what we need as a country.
As an auxiliary body to the BNF, the BNFWL should have its own constitution as stated in the mother-body constitution. The newly-elected Committee will spearhead this development. We have also come up with gender-sensitive policies. There is a need to achieve gender-balanced representation not only in party structures but also in councils and parliament, as well as the other positions of political power and influence.
The BNF constitution states a 30 percent quota for women. Botswana signed the SADC protocol on gender and development on 10th May 2015 which advocates for a 50-50 percent representation. The BNF as a party that wants to govern through the UDC must adopt the 50 per cent quota and it is our mission to influence the change in policy in this regard. Also, there is a need to not only reserve positions for women, but also to educate and empower women to enable them to stand for elections. This newly-elected committee will conduct empowerment workshops to capacitate women, especially young women to have confidence to stand for elections so that the quota is met. The social and economic development strategy of the BNF - within the Social Democratic Programme of the BNF states that the “BNF wishes to transform the Botswana society such that the creation and distribution of wealth is in the hands of Batswana not entrusted to a few individuals”. We believe it is high time the BNF lives up to its pledges by taking action. One of the things we wish to do as BNFWL is the formation of women cooperatives tailor-made to the needs of the 10 regions in order to uplift the lives of women throughout Botswana.
Sun: How are you going to contribute to the menaces of gender based violence and sexual exploitation which are reportedly endemic in political parties?
Dr Nkoane: Together with other political parties, as well as civil rights movements, we must put pressure on the government of Botswana to change policy and above all include GBV in the Botswana Constitution.
We believe if there is a provision in the supreme law then all other subsequent laws will follow the same queue. The law alone is not enough. Women need to be empowered not only socially but also economically so that they are able to stand on their own to support themselves and their families.
Sun: Are you concerned about the uncertainty currently bedeviling the opposition cooperation project? If so, what influence will you exact as the BNFWL to ensure the success of the project?
Dr Nkoane: Everyone who wants to see the liberation of Batswana from the BDP misrule must be concerned about the current political tension in the UDC. If we, as Women of the Front can find a way to work together with women from the other opposition political parties and truly focus on the bigger picture, I am pretty sure that a solution to the current political impasse is nearby.
We have very able, sane leaders in President Duma Boko and Vice President Dumelang Saleshando, as well as Chairperson Motlatsi Molapisi. As the opposition, we have more issues that unite us than those that divide us!