Politics - year 2015

March
Former assistant Minister of Education and Skills Development and Member of Parliament for Mogoditshane constituency, Patrick Masimolole withdraws a petition to the High Court in which he was challenging the outcome of the 2014 general election in which he lost to newcomer Chilly Kgoroba of Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC).

Masimolole wanted the court to issue an order declaring the counting process of ballots at Mogoditshane improper and irregular. He said the election in Mogoditshane constituency was marred by irregularities.

April
Botswana Movement for Democracy Youth League (BMDYL) elective congress held in Mochudi is marred by controversy as some senior party leaders are accused of meddling in youth affairs. A lobby group led by Rodger Mphafhe withdraws from the race for the youth league executive committee election. Phenyo Segokgo retains his seat as the BMDYL President.

Founding member of the BMD, Sidney Pilane’s name crops up after the youth congress. He is alleged to be planning a comeback but Pilane dismisses the claims as efforts to divert attention from the problems faced by the movement.
 
March-July
During its National Council held in Gaborone, Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) resolves to welcome disgruntled members who left the party to contest as independent candidates.

The candidates contested as mekoko (Independent Candidates) following what they called the failure by the party to address their concerns. Minister of Health Dorcus Makgato enters the race for the BDP Women’s Wing chairperson and wins. Vice President Mokgwetsi Masisi declares his interest for the Chairmanship of the BDP.

He gets overwhelming support within the party as the right candidate to replace Ponatshego Kedikilwe as party chairman. As the contest for the top seat heats up among the seven contestants, Masisi is accused of using his executive position as vice president to abuse state resources during campaigns. After losing the election in Mmadinare against Masisi some contenders among them former Botswana Ambassador to the US, Tebelelo Seretse complains to the party’s central committee but their grievances were dismissed.

May
UDC Member of Parliament for Goodhope-Mabule, James Mathokgwane shocks the country as he quits politics barely six months after being voted into the political office. He cites ill health as his reasons for resigning. His resignation causes uproar as his party the UDC and the electorate at his constituency learnt about the resignation from the media.

Mathokgwane later lands a plum job at Selibe-Phikwe Diversification Unit. He would later publicly apologise for not bidding his constituents farewell. Allegations fly thick and fast suggesting Mathokgwane has been ‘bought’ by the BDP to cause a by-election but he dismisses the claims saying he would never be bought.

June
Kgosi Lotlamoreng II of Barolong resigns from his seat as paramount chief and deputy chairman of Ntlo ya Dikgosi. He says he is pursuing other personal interests and dismisses claims that he is joining politics. He would later be unveiled as the UDC candidate for the Good-Mabule by-election.

July
Parliament turns chaotic as opposition MPs want an urgent motion calling for investigations into the water and power crisis. Deputy Speaker Kagiso Molatlhegi refuses to have the motion tabled before Parliament. Opposition MPs led by Opposition Whip Wynter Mmolotsi push for the motion to be tabled. Mmolotsi is escorted out of Parliament after he refuses to obey an order to leave Parliament.

MP for Gaborone Central Dr Phenyo Butale is manhandled by security and police officers out of Parliament. Other opposition MPs walk out of Parliament to protest the way the deputy speaker handled the issue.

July-Aug
Botswana Congress Party (BCP) elective congress held in Kanye over the President Holidays in July resolves to engage the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) for possible cooperation talks. The party is however divided over the issue as some of the members are against working with the UDC and believe the BCP still has a chance to go it all alone in the 2019 general election.

At the same congress party leader Dumelang Saleshando is unchallenged for the party’s presidential seat.

Specially elected MP and Minister for Presidential Affairs and Public Administration Eric Molale resigns both as minister and MP. Within hours President Ian Khama uses his powers under section 42 of the Constitution to re-appoint him as minister for the same portfolio for a period of four months. Under this appointment Molale would not attend Parliament.

Molale’s candidacy divides the BDP, as some believe he could have paved the way for other equally capable individuals. Fankie Motsaathebe challenges the outcome of the Goodhope-Mabule Bulela-ditswe results but the party leadership dismisses his appeal. Molale loses the by-election to Kgosi Lotlamoreng II in what observers say was a punishment against the BDP’s decision to field Molale against the better judgement of the party faithful in the constituency.

BCP suspend four of its activists among them the BCP Youth League Secretary General Thato Osupile for alleged misconduct. They are alleged to have colluded with some senior BDP members to recruit BCP members to the BDP. All four would later dump the BCP to join the BDP before the BCP could conduct disciplinary hearings. They accused the party leadership of deciding on behalf of the membership for cooperation with the UDC.

Division within the BCP over cooperation talks forces the party leadership to engage on a nationwide tour to consult the members on whether to initiate talks with UDC or not. All the 14 regions give the party’s central committee a go ahead to engage UDC. Saleshando announces that the party is ready to engage in talks with the UDC. He reveals that his party will go into the talks with an open mandate.

August-Nov
Sydney Pilane applies for readmission into the BMD after he dismissed as rumours, claims early this year that he wants to rejoin the movement. His application divides the party. After the Gaborone North Branch rejected his application on grounds that he is not trustworthy and is likely to fuel factions within the party, the Mochudi West constituency on the other hand readmitted him.

His re-admission divides the party executive committee and the Party President Ndaba Gaolathe gets pitted against Secretary General Gilbert Mangole and Chairman Nehemiah Modubule over whether Pilane’s admission was procedural or not.

October-Nov
President Khama unveils the Economic Stimulus Package (ESP) during at a BDP Special Congress held in Gaborone. Khama indicates that the ESP’s aim is to accelerate job creation, diversify the economy and stimulate the economy. President Khama suggests Molale’s name for nomination as a Specially Elected MP. Even though some BDP MPs are against this move they agree with Khama on the name during a party Parliamentary caucus.

Unidentified MPs nominate Saleshando and BDP Secretary General Botsalo Ntuane on the floor of Parliament without their consent. Molale emerges victorious as Specially Elected MP. Opposition MPs abstained from participating in the voting saying the process was fraudulent because Ntuane and Saleshando were nominated without their consent. BDP through its chairman Masisi accuses the opposition of nominating Ntuane with the aim of sowing seeds of discord in the party.

The opposition hits back demanding answers on how Masisi was able to see who nominated Ntuane and Saleshando while the Speaker of Parliament Gladys Kokorwe declined to reveal the names.

December
BCP formally approaches the UDC to start cooperation talks. The party also proposes Memorandum of Understanding for all by-elections in the build-up to 2019 general election.