‘ The people will defend democracy with their lives’
Masisi has been work- shopped by Emerson Mnangagwa, the President of Zimbabwe, on the art of election rigging – Duma Boko
The people will not stand by and watch helplessly should the government party ‘ steal’ the elections again in future.
This is the stark warning sounded by Umbrella for Democratic Change ( UDC) president Adv. Duma Boko, whose party lost the 2019 general election amid allegations of election fraud by Botswana Demoratic Party.
Boko was welcoming former BDP activist and Member of Parliament ( MP) for Francistown west, Ignatius Moswaane into the UDC in Francistown on Sunday.
“Francistown is experiencing an exodus with respect to people leaving the ruling party and joining the opposition. What remains for us now is to stop the stealing of votes by the ruling party.
“We have to change government in 2024 to stop the election fraud,” said Advocate Boko who alleged that, the leader of the BDP, Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi, has been workshopped by Emerson Mnangagwa, the President of Zimbabwe on the art of election rigging.
“Masisi will not cheat again. Tsietso e tsile bokhutlong. If Masisi cheats again, the people will protect democracy with their lives,” warned the Advocate.
The UDC leader hailed Moswaane, two ( 2) ruling party councillors, Kago Philime and Otsile Moses including a number of wards and constituency officials alongside hundreds of followers for crossing the floor. “By crossing the floor, you have aligned yourself with those with whom you spoke the same language even though you were in the ruling party and they were in the opposition,” noted Boko. Before his suspension and subsequent resignation from the BDP, Moswaane had been on the rampage criticising his party for aiding and abetting corruption, failing to empower citizens and neglecting the fight against poverty, among other things.
These are some of the themes that have dominated the opposition agenda for decades. The UDC leader, who is also president of the Botswana National Front ( BNF), an affiliate of the UDC, told the well- attended meeting that, he spoke to Moswaane last year before the general election asking him to leave the BDP and join the UDC. “I put it to him that the BDP does not take him seriously hence they always ignore his ideas. I told him they hate him to the point where they could kill him but he reneged as he was apparently hopeful the BDP would change.
“He has finally left the BDP. People are fed up with the BDP and are leaving the party including long time members. Moswaane did not walk away silently. He opened up to the nation and his former party,” explained Boko.
“He has continued to tell them they are corrupt. People should be ready to die for the truth,” noted the UDC leader who assured the gathering that the UDC is strong.
For his part Moswaane boasted that some of those who have remained in the BDP ward and constituencies, have in fact converted to the UDC.
“We own all the BDP structures. They are part of the Re Tsamaya Le Moswaane Movement. By the end of December they will resign en mass to the UDC,” said Moswaane who vowed to make sure Francistown East ( only constituency under BDP) is in the hands of the UDC come 2024. Moswaane called upon the people to not allow themselves to be bought over by the BDP with food, t/ shirts or any gift. “If they give you food, eat the food but deny them the vote. If they give you t/ shirts, mop your floor with them,” said Moswaane who said that the UDC is the answer to the nation’s problems.
Confirming that the BDP, of which he was a candidate, indeed cheated in 2019, he claimed that, the act was actually a pilot project which was used in the south and will be extended to the north in 2024.
The 2019 general elections saw the BDP doing very well in the South and losing its strongholds in the central and northern parts of the country.