RAKGARE, CLLRS SQUARE OFF
● MP accused of auctioning wards
Just 11 months since the last general election, some Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) councillors in Mogoditshane are fearful of losing their seats at the 2024 polls.
They have since written to the party complaining that Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Tumiso Rakgare, is ‘auctioning’ their wards.
Some councillors in Rakgare’s constituency have since written a letter of complaint to the party’s central committee.
In the letter, they blame the MP for failing to foster healthy working relations while recruiting members to challenge those that are against him.
There has never been peace amongst members of the BDP in the Mogoditshane constituency since the party’s primary elections. Even though Rakgare tried to smoke the peace pipe early this year with his councillors, there has been resistance from some.Rakgare, who is also the Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development, said some of the councillors in his area who are not willing to cooperate with him will not obstruct delivery of his promises to Mogoditshane residents.
“I cannot comment on party internal issues, but they have not served me with a copy of the letter, as I am not aware of the letter and its contents. It should be clear that Mogoditshane residents have voted for me to serve them so that I improve their lives. Therefore, I will not keep on forcing some councillors who do not want to cooperate with me to do so,” Rakgare told The Monitor.
“Our mandate in this area is to focus on the issue of unemployment, which is high in the area, poverty and land.
Residents of Mogoditshane have not been allocated land for years and that is what gives me sleepless nights and councillors should also be worried about such issues.”
Rakgare said Mogoditshane constituency is one of the areas with the highest population and also has vast opportunities for entrepreneurs to invest, for jobs to be created as all this could be achieved with proper planning and engagement of leaders.
“It is time for dikgosi, the Village Development Committee (VDC) and other stakeholders to meet and talk on how the area could develop in order to create employment. Unemployment amongst youth is a painful one. I always tell my councillors to focus on those issues and also to fight corruption in the councils,” he said.
However, concerned councillors believe Rakgare cannot achieve his goals if there are divisions in the area.
“Our area MP cannot expect us to be behind him when he is busy recruiting people to challenge us in the next primary election in our area,” concerned councillors bemoaned.
“Again, our main contention is that Rakgare never wants to engage us. He rather prefers corridor talk and that is why he has even divided the branch committee as well.”