Thutlwe retains seat as Gabs Mayor

Gaborone City Council Mayor Kagiso Thutlwe yesterday retained his seat against challenger and comrade Rodah Sekgororoane.

The elections were held at the council chamber as Thutlwe’s two and half term had come to an end. His deputy Kagiso Tshekega was unopposed. Out of the 35 cast votes Thutlwe got 23 against Sekgororoane’s 12 votes. Majority of Sekgororoane’s votes came from the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP)

councillors who are nine in total. The BDP councillors did not hide their desire to see Thutlwe removed from the mayoral seat. Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) has 27 councillors.

Sekgororoane had always pinned her hopes on BDP councillors after the UDC caucus meeting resolved that all the councillors should support Thutlwe to allow him to finish the remaining two and half years ahead of the 2019 general election.

In his acceptance speech, Thutlwe thanked the councillors for allowing him to continue leading them. He said he is prepared to work with all the councillors and the secretariat to give best service for residents of Gaborone. Thutlwe has however condemned the City Clerk Mpho Mathe for the way he conducted the elections. “I have to express my disappointment in my clerk regarding the manner in which he conducted the elections. I

n a democratic dispensation when people nominate others, their names are made public. I do not understand why the clerk refused to let this house know who nominated Sekgororoane and myself. Nominations are not made secret but voting is the one which is made a secret. What we saw today was not a fair election. I believe going forward the clerk will correct this anomaly,” he said.

Head of Communications for UDC Moeti Mohwasa who attended the council also blasted the council clerk saying this was undemocratic. He said the clerk should understand that the councillors are there representing voters. Sekgororoane conceded defeat.