MOKOKO GUNS FOR GUMA

As an independent parliamentary candidate, he is quick to admit that he does not have the financial means to run a lavish campaign. However, Tshwenyego Mbise, 42, a resident of Themashanga village in the Tati East constituency believes that his knowledge of the constituency, its people and their needs coupled with his passion to serve, put him in a vantage position to win. This is despite the fact that independent candidates in Botswana rarely win an election. He joined Botswana Peoples’ Party (BPP) in 1998 and unsuccessfully contested Old Naledi ward in Gaborone in 1999. At the time, BPP was part of the Botswana Alliance Movement (BAM). “I would later leave active politics until the Councillor for Themashanga, Kudzani Tobokwani, a member of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) recruited me into the ruling party,’’ said Mbise in an interview. He became active again in 2009 as part of the party activists who campaigned for Moyo Guma, the current area Member of Parliament (MP). “I had wanted to contest the general elections in 2014 but decided instead to support Sean Sebele in the primary elections against Guma. “I did not want to split Sebele’s votes because I wanted him to win the primaries,” said Mbesi who runs a construction company. Will he consider contesting the primary elections if they are called to replace Guma who has been recalled? “I have been campaigning for some time as an independent candidate in this constituency and the constituents are behind me. They know me,” said Mbise who has not resigned from the BDP. “The problem of shortage of water in this constituency is an old one and needs to be tackled. Looking at the length of time this problem has been around, it is clear that nobody is pushing it,” he observed adding that there has been no political will to champion the development agenda of the constituency in general. His commitment to addressing the shortage of water is reflected in his election symbol which is formed by two standpipes standing together but facing opposite directions. The aspirant finds it disturbing that there is no hospital or a 24-hour clinic in the constituency. One of the challenges that stood the test of time is shortage of land in the constituency which is part of the North East District. The North East District is home to farms owned by the Tati Company. “It is difficult in the North East District to own land be it for residential purposes or grazing,” noted the parliamentary aspirant whose chosen colour is maroon. “The Ntimbale dam is situated between farms. Access to it for activities such as fishing is impossible for the ordinary people. Only the rich owners can easily access it which in my view is unfair,” lamented Mbise. The constituency is endowed with a lot of rivers. “If we had land, the rivers could be an important resource especially to the youth interested in farming. “Irrigation farming would grow in this area due to the many rivers we have,” he added. Mbise is also not happy with the inadequate road infrastructure in the constituency or the general pace of development. “Look at a village such as Matsiloje for instance. It is so close to Francistown but so neglected. There are no developments,” he observed. Mbise believes that the Tati Nickel mine should not have closed. “The other problem here is the human-wildlife conflict. The Department of Wildlife is not doing their job and people are suffering because wild animals are destroying their crops. I intend to articulate these things in parliament,” said Mbise.