Lily Tsele – the outspoken youthful female politician

Born Lily Odirile Tsele, in Mochudi village, the 23-year-old lass never imagined that she would one day be involved in politics.

Tsele studied accounting at Botho University and later joined the University of Johannesburg’ School of Leadership, where she is currently studying social sciences.

She joined politics in 2013 after a chance meeting with lawyer and politician Martin Dingake who encouraged her to join active politics if she is to help effect change in her society. “Initially I wanted to lay low and work behind the scenes but Martin introduced me to Mme Tebogo Dingake, who also suggested that I be more active. She taught me about party structures and introduced me to my constituency members.”

It was Dingake who gave her a push and encouraged her to aim for higher ground. “In 2015, mme Dingake encouraged me to take part in the youth league elections of my party (Botswana Congress) but I resisted several times because I perceived myself as too young and inexperienced. I am grateful to her for believing in me. I took the plunge and was elected secretary general for Women’s Affairs and I remain grateful for the support I received.”

Tsele has big dreams for her political career. “One day I will be a Member of Parliament or a Minister, although I would like to be a political analyst also. There are young people who look up to me as a leader, and in future, if they still want me, I will not hesitate to continue working with them. I want to work hard to improve my people’s lives.

The low number of female politicians, particularly youth, in Botswana, worries Tsele.

“As much as we want women representation in Parliament increased, we should introduce a system where all political parties should allocate 20 percent of seats to women. But women should be active in political structures and have a good working relationship with fellow members. They should not sleep their way to the top but work hard to represent the interest and challenges of our people. A good leader must be disciplined and exercise their ability to lead dutifully. The people come first,” she says philosophically.  

Tsele recently caused a controversy when she took to social media and stated that women in politics are often used as ‘sex toys’ by their male counterparts. She insists that her sentiments were blown out of proportion.

“I merely shared an extract from an article written by Dr. Ave Maria Semakafu and related her article to our local politics. I said ‘some’ male politicians leave their wives and girlfriends at home and promise the women they meet in political circles a good life because some of these women are emotionally and financially vulnerable. There’s nothing wrong with politicians dating and marrying each other; they are human beings and are not immune to love, but we cannot afford to have infidelity dramas as they can mentally damage people and even undermine the role of politics in society.”

Although politics is often hostile to women, Tsele asserts that women politicians should not succumb to pressure to be masculine.

“Women should bring their unique way of seeing things, as well as their intellectual strength and even emotions and tears to the table. They should not be intimidated by their male counterparts. They should be principled and strong leaders because the voice of a woman is the voice of the nation.”