Masisi, BDP youth invade Serowe
After a new kid on the political block, the Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) ousted the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) from its long held stronghold in Serowe, President Mokgweetsi Masisi, the party leadership and the youth are expected to invade Serowe in an endeavour to redeem their political fortunes.
The BDP National Youth Executive Committee (NYEC) chairperson, Collen Mochotlhi has said their aim to hold the national youth policy forum in Serowe is to revive structures and also ensure that the party becomes visible in the central part of the country.
Already, there is an outcry that some of the youth programmes or policies are outdated while some are disadvantaging them.
So far, the BDPNYEC wrote to all branches to hold special congresses in order to come up with recommendations and resolutions on youth policies that they want discussed. All the 57 branches are expected to submit their resolutions and recommendations to Tsholetsa House by Monday.
The forum, which will be held at the end of the month (November 25-27), is expected to yield results to the youth as it does not cater for political ones only.
According to Mochotlhi, the youth will have an opportunity to engage with different ministers on policies that they believe are no longer
serving their purpose. One of the policies that the youth want to be reviewed is Youth Development Fund (YDF) and the one on the land policy.
“We will invite discussions on the review of existing youth policies and open conversations around emerging issues surrounding and affecting our livelihoods at this forum. To achieve this, branches are to hold special branch congresses and submit resolutions and recommendations
by November 7. The resolutions and recommendations from the branches will guide the policy forum. It shall be attended by all delegates who attended the 39th Youth Wing national congress that was held in Bobonong,” Mochotlhi had said.
Although he was cagey with the details, Mmegi has learnt that the BDP youth will hold other activities prior to the event in Serowe as a way of motivating members who have been demoralised in that area. It is also understood that the BDP wants to recruit some members from its splinter party, the BPF, back to the BDP and it wants to take advantage of the current developments at the BPF.
The BPF is currently embroiled in internal fights that threaten to further split the party. A source who preferred anonymity said it will take longer for the BDP to penetrate the Ga-Mmangwato or Central District area when President Masisi and former president Ian Khama are still not in talking terms. Already, some BDP members have reportedly started campaigns in Serowe as part of building momentum for this month’s event. The event will be officiated by President Masisi whose attitude will be to lead his party into opening up Serowe for more opportunities.
According to an insider, there would be house-to-house campaigns in the area and several strategic meetings on how they could win back the Ga-Mmangwato area.
Apart from campaigns, there would be choir competitions under the theme ‘Domi yo o tshwaraganeng’ which denotes efforts to attaining the elusive unity in the area after a major split that saw the BDP ousted from Serowe in the 2019 General Election. There will also be a beauty contest.
Serowe has been an unshakeable BDP stronghold since independence in 1966, but lost it to the opposition party in the 2019 General Election after Khama defected to the BPF where he became a patriot.