BDP orders re-run in Shoshong

Former Botswana’s Ambassador to Namibia, Duke Gopolang Lefhoko’s parliamentary ambitions, have once again, been rekindled.

After suffering a humiliating defeat at the hands of Shoshong’s incumbent Member of Parliament, Dikgang Phillip Makgalemele, Lefhoko-a one time artera MP-can again breathe a sigh of relief now that the Shoma Regional Committee has upheld his appeal and ordered a re-run of the primaries in the Shoshong constituency, after establishing prima facie evidence that there were lots of irregularities in the election. The results showed that Lefhoko got 1024 votes, Makgalemele 2574, Tibe Tibe 448, and Modibedi Robi, another former area MP, managed only 93 votes.

A number of irregularities such as late arrival of voters’ cards at constituencies, manipulation of the voters’ rolls, voters not having cards or voters’ names missing from voters’ rolls were the order of the day during the BDP primaries north of Dibete. SHOMA deputy chairperson, Lesego Baruti confirmed that they had looked at all appeals “in our SHOMA region and have since made recommendations and forwarded them to the Central Committee to make a final decision on the matter.” Lefhoko confirmed having received a letter from the regional committee informing him of their decision to order a re-run of the constituency primary elections while Makgalemele also confirmed having been furnished with a copy of the SHOMA region decision, but added: “I am currently working on an appeal to the Central Committee.”