Nkawana optimistic about return

The Botswana Congress Party (BCP) parliamentary candidate for Selebi-Phikwe East, Kgoberego Nkawana, who will be launched this weekend for a second run, is confident of a return to Parliament.

Nkawana, who in the 2019 General Election garnered 3, 903 votes against the Botswana Democratic Party’s (BDP), Amogelang Leonard who got 2,857 votes while Alliance for Progressives’ (AP) Oarabile Tshenyego got 781 votes, told The Monitor that he sees no strong challenge from his opponents in the October polls.

In an interview last Tuesday, Nkawana was upbeat: “My opponents are still fighting amongst themselves and have not yet held their primary elections. Additionally, I am the incumbent candidate, which gives me an advantage. I believe I have a good chance of winning.” The MP believes he has performed well as a representative of Selebi-Phikwe East constituency. He also feels that he has worked hard for the people of the area and would continue to do so if voted again for the second term.

Nkawana said the government should focus on attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) through its organs to create jobs and reduce unemployment. He said the government is the key player in bringing new businesses and jobs to the area.

He added: “Foreign {direct} investment can have a big impact on the local economy. The closure of the BCL Mine has had a major impact on the economy of Selebi-Phikwe and the surrounding areas. Thousands of people lost their jobs when the mine shut down, and many of them are struggling to find new employment.”

Nkawana feels that the government’s efforts to revitalise the economy of Selebi-Phikwe have been inadequate. Furthermore, he advocated for residents of the town to be assisted since tremors are destroying their houses as some had already cracked. He said his plea to government was not taken seriously while residents live in fear of what is happening at the mines and the ministry responsible did not address them on the matter.

Recently, the Minister of Minerals and Energy, Lefoko Moagi, emphasised to Parliament that the tremors pose no danger, as in the mining sector, such tremors are always expected. He further assured residents that they should be at ease, as the current tremors in their town are similar to those experienced from 2019 to 2020 in terms of size, location patterns, frequency, and mining-induced.

Moreover, Nkawana said Selebi-Phikwe East has its own problems that need a focused MP like him, not the one who would not care about the problems affecting them. Despite having lost elections before in the 2014 General Election, Nkawana said he never abandoned the residents of that area and kept on showing commitment to them. He said even after being elected in, he kept his promises to residents of that area by delivering some of the promises he made to them when voted into Parliament.

On the issue of the launch, he said it would give him ample time to campaign, unlike his opponents. He said it comes at the right time when government had made an announcement of supplementary registration, and his Saturday event would help in encouraging people to vote.

Nkawana said the launch would clearly demonstrate to Selebi-Phikwe members on how organised they are and also tell them about their party manifesto. The MP said the town has strongholds of BCP and his party would not be affected by the fact that it had pulled out of the Umbrella for

Democratic Change (UDC) in that area. With the ruling BDP, Nkawana highlighted that its structures had long collapsed and residents in the area feel that it had failed them. He said some BDP members in the area, who should to be active, are no longer interested in activism because of how their party had treated people after BCL closure.

He revealed that residents of Selebi-Phikwe are no longer blown by the wind unlike other areas because of the challenges they go through.

Nkawana would be launched by the BCP president, Dumelang Saleshando, in Selebi-Phikwe at Ko Kolobeng area. Nkawana, who regards himself as a businessperson and also a human rights activist, believes that he was born a politician as he started at a young age while schooling at Swaneng Hill School. Then in 2009, he contested at the Gaborone South for an MP seat before relocating to his current town. Then he started to try his luck in the area until he made it in 2019.

For him, politics is a passion and he cannot leave it because he lost elections. He said he has stood with his party during its ups and downs and he will be with it whether it wins or not. He said the BCP has good policies and structure if it could be given power to rule. He believes his party could change Batswana’s lives.