General Galebotswe speaks: Why I left BNF of the UDC
Retired army commander, Lieutenant General Gaolathe Galebotswe has joined the former members of Botswana National Front (BNF) under the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), who left the party due to the autocratic tendencies of its leadership.
As a former military strategist, Galebotswe believes in fully supporting leadership with one's utmost capability, ability, and cooperation. However, when leaders refuse to listen, he feels it is best to leave, as he did when he joined the Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) to pursue his ambition of becoming a legislator for the Mogoditshane West constituency.
Galebotswe had long expressed interest in representing Mogoditshane, and had things gone according to his wishes, he would have contested the 2019 general election under the UDC ticket. He explains that in 2019, the idea of a collective effort by the opposition was crucial because they believed that only by uniting their parties could they challenge the BDP and attain state power.
However, at the last minute, the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) joined the coalition, and “we had to accommodate them, which was the original intention. I personally believed in the project and its potential to deliver results.
“This time, when it came to constituency allocations, the Mogoditshane constituency was given to the Alliance for Progressives (AP). But those of us in the BNF, representing the UDC in Mogoditshane, felt disadvantaged by this decision.
“The reason is simple: if you consider the presence and visibility of the AP in the constituency, it was still a part of the overall former Mogoditshane constituency, despite the new name. We believed that if the UDC was serious about winning the constituency, it would have been better to allocate it to the BNF within the UDC.
“Even in the new area from the former Mmankgodi constituency, known as Modiremogolo, which has a history of BNF patronage and consistent wins since 2019, we felt strongly that we could still secure victory for the UDC. To achieve our goal of state power, the constituency should have been allocated to the BNF.
“Based on this, we filed a written protest with our Central Committee. The CC came to address us and assured us that the matter would be reviewed, but unfortunately, the review did not go in our favour.
“We were concerned by the outcome because, as members of the BNF, it seemed to us that since the UDC's formation in 2014, the BNF has consistently been disadvantaged in terms of parliamentary representation. There appears to be a recurring pattern where the BNF, as part of the UDC, ends up losing out on constituencies where it could have performed better.
“This ongoing trend has driven us to speak out this time, declaring that we can no longer continue down this path, repeatedly giving away constituencies that the BNF could win. That’s why we raised the alarm, but unfortunately, our BNF leadership, along with the UDC leadership, refused to listen.
“We reached a point where we said, ‘Enough is enough’. We no longer want to be part of something that we see as tearing the BNF apart, especially considering that we won the majority of by-elections. Our strong performance in last year’s elections, and into this year, where the UDC, led by the BNF and Botswana People’s Party (BPP), did exceptionally well without the AP or BCP, reinforced our stance.
“There was also an arrangement with the Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) that worked very well. In our view, the BPF had a tremendous impact on the by-election results, contributing significantly to our success.
“This experience influenced our decision, even though some might underestimate the role of the BPF in these outcomes. We firmly believe that the BPF played a crucial role in shaping the results. Given this, the BPF became our party of choice when we realised that no matter how hard we tried to convince our BNF leadership to reconsider their strategy, they wouldn’t listen or make any changes. Rather than continuing to pressure them, we decided it was better to find a new home”.
Galebotswe revealed that he has begun engaging with the relevant personalities and structures within the constituency, including elders and those interested in participating under the BPF ticket in the upcoming elections. He aims to agree on a plan of action for how the campaign should be conducted. While they haven't yet reached a definitive conclusion, the process involves sitting down together, understanding the stakes, and agreeing on a strategy to engage potential voters.
He has started by talking to people who are sympathetic to the BPF or activists within the party, as well as those who might support the BPF even if they aren't activists.
The goal is simply to win votes. As far as he is concerned, they have a plan to promote the party’s mandate, which resonates well with the voters.
This alignment will determine whether the BPF or its candidate has a chance in parliament. Of course, the candidate’s role is also crucial. His duty is to present himself in line with the party’s mandate, which will be reflected in the party manifesto.
The same scenario unfolded after the 2019 elections, with the BNF suffering a significant setback and ending up with only a few members of parliament.
One reason, which became quite clear, was that the BNF focused its efforts on campaigning strongly in constituencies belonging to its partners, while neglecting its own, leading to poor performance.
The BNF also failed to prioritise constituencies it could have ordinarily won.