Lucas confident of victory

Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) parliamentary candidate for Francistown South, Modiri Lucas, popularly called Jojo, is a confident man. He fancies his chances to beat both Wynter Mmolotsi and Tiroyaone Ntsima of the Alliance for Progressives (AP) and Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) respectively in the October general elections. BDP won the constituency back in 2009 with Mmolotsi as party candidate but he would later break away as part of disgruntled members that formed the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD). The 39 year old entrepreneur is unfazed by the fact that BDP could only manage 3 289 votes in 2014 while the UDC, whose candidate then was Mmolotsi, garnered 5 261. A lot has since changed. Mmolotsi’s AP has decided to go it alone in the elections. “He has changed from one party to another and people can no longer trust him. People need somebody who is consistent and they can trust. “Secondly, there is no AP in the constituency. I am confident that the BDP, not necessarily myself, will win the constituency with large numbers,” he stated. Lucas has been an entrepreneur since his primary school days. “I was a photographer at school and also sold sweets at school,” revealed Jojo who stayed with his parents in old Somerset, which is known for poverty, alcoholism and crime.  He went to Mokaleng Primary School and Moremogolo in Francistown and then proceeded to Francistown Secondary School before enrolling with the South African College of Auctioneers for a Diploma in Auctioneering. “We were squatters here and life was hard so I had to sell sweets, take photos to compliment whatever my parents could raise,” noted the Zion Christian Church (ZCC) member who stays in Block 8. He contested Ipopeng ward using the tagline mokoko wa ditlhabololo as an independent candidate in the 2014 general elections but lost. He used his own resources to buy and install tower lights at dimausu to curb crime. “There are people who cannot afford even a simple thing as replacing or repairing the door to their house due to poverty. “When I discovered this need, I used my resources to help out because, without a door, you are exposed to criminals at night,” explained Lucas. He has pioritised jobs among the needs of the constituency. “Nobody is taking the government empowerment programmes to the constituents. I intend to do that by organising seminars and workshops for the relevant government departments to market those to the people,” added Lucas. He has registered a company called A 100 Minds Limited. “This will bring a hundred young people together to run business related to farming, manufacturing and the production of different commodities for supply to government,” said the BDP diehard whose philosophy is that politics is about service to the people. He is also worried that no clinic in the constituency operates for 24 hours. “There is a need to add a maternity wing to the Masego clinic in the constituency. Our internal roads need to be upgraded. I am also worried that, in almost the whole constituency, churches operate as squatters. This is despite the crucial role they play. “They are not given the recognition and dignity they deserve by being allocated land,” Modiri said. As MP, Jojo will get government to resolve the problem of O Mang for the children who struggle to be recognised as citizens because one of the parents was not a Motswana. “Government needs to solve this problem once and for all. Right now, I know some who will not vote because there is a problem with the renewal of their identity cards,” he lamented. His position is that, if government cannot open the Tati Nickel mine, it should at least turn it into a tourism park, which would revive the economy of the town. Francistown constituency also needs a Youth Centre equipped with WIFI which will also serve as a resource centre.