Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) uprooted the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) in the last election in the Central region even though that is where historically BDP has been the strongest. BPF party leaders in the Central region are adamant that they will cover more ground in the upcoming elections and they are not bothered by the show that the BDP put over the weekend in Serowe.
BPF Member of Parliament for Serowe South, Leepetswe Lesedi has refuted claims made by the Specially Elected Member of Parliament Kgotla Autlwetse at the Serowe BDP star rally that the BPF’s manifesto was a hateful and vengeful diatribe directed towards President Mokgweetsi Masisi.
Lesedi said that the BPF is yet to launch their latest manifesto but the 2019 one advocated for a special housing scheme through the Botswana Housing Corporation so that people can own houses. Through their manifesto, the party also desired to build and improve roads infrastructure into and out of farms. Lesedi believes that this time around, the BPF will poll more votes than in the 2019 elections.
Lesedi dismissed BDP claims that they welcomed over a thousand new members at their star rally in Serowe. He believes that the BDP went around registering names to hand over blankets and jackets, and these names were added to the new member's list to inflate the numbers. He alleges that the BDP had brought people from various places in the northern part of Botswana to beef up their numbers.
Currently, according to Lesedi, they have recorded a decline in harassment by security agents until this past weekend when one of their comrades was detained by the DIS and their car was impounded. He claimed that in attempts to rekindle the love between Bangwato and the BDP, President Masisi was going around claiming that he ordered the security forces against any degrading arrests of Khama amid his pending cases, saying such statements were just a ploy to get the people of Serowe on his side.
Lesedi is also expressed a worry that the Serowe kgotla has now been turned into government property. He said that they wrote to the Kgosi as MPs of Serowe asking for the use of the Kgotla for official government purposes but that Kgosi Serogola Seretse's response was that they were belittling him by making such a request. Lesedi said only Cabinet members are given access to address the people of Serowe in the main kgotla.
He said it was shameful that the name of Sir Seretse Khama was being used for political expediency, citing the upcoming marathon event named after him, as well as the Sir Seretse Khama Day. In relation to that, he added that this past Saturday, the Uncles in the royal family wanted to consult the tribe about the upcoming Sir Seretse Khama Marathon as there has not been any official communication about the marathon to the people of Serowe.
Such could not happen as the kgotla could not be availed to them. In the past, Kgosi Serogola has lamented the tendency by royal uncles to use the kgotla meetings they call to attack government and to promote political intolerance of the ruling party
Lesedi questioned the motives of President Masisi whom he said was bringing multiple programmes for the people just a few months to the elections when they were not coming up with programmes in the last several years. He said that the livelihoods of Batswana would have greatly improved had they been given these programmes two or three years ago. He explained that the ruling BDP will spill out more programmes just so that they get their vote at the upcoming elections. He thus urged the nation to give power to the BPF so that they can give Batswana a better standard of living through programmes that will not be shoved down people’s throats at election year.
The BPF Secretary for the Central Region, Boipuso Ralekwalo explained that the BPF was ready to defend the seats they have claimed in the central region. Further, that the meetings and feedback they get from the people in wards give them a good indication that they can put up a spirited fight in the upcoming election. Ralekwalo added that the numbers that were pulled by the BDP at the Serowe rally were not organic as they transported a lot of people to Serowe who are not even going to vote in Serowe. Moreover, he revealed that the BPF has not been affected by the fact that they moved out of the UDC. He said that those who decided to remain in the UDC may have made a tactical move looking at the part of the country where they live. However, in the central region the dominant party is the BPF, he said, adding that they will soon unveil their candidate for the Palapye constituency.
BPF Member of Parliament for Serowe South, Leepetswe Lesedi has refuted claims made by the Specially Elected Member of Parliament Kgotla Autlwetse at the Serowe BDP star rally that the BPF’s manifesto was a hateful and vengeful diatribe directed towards President Mokgweetsi Masisi.
Lesedi said that the BPF is yet to launch their latest manifesto but the 2019 one advocated for a special housing scheme through the Botswana Housing Corporation so that people can own houses. Through their manifesto, the party also desired to build and improve roads infrastructure into and out of farms. Lesedi believes that this time around, the BPF will poll more votes than in the 2019 elections.
Lesedi dismissed BDP claims that they welcomed over a thousand new members at their star rally in Serowe. He believes that the BDP went around registering names to hand over blankets and jackets, and these names were added to the new member's list to inflate the numbers. He alleges that the BDP had brought people from various places in the northern part of Botswana to beef up their numbers.
Currently, according to Lesedi, they have recorded a decline in harassment by security agents until this past weekend when one of their comrades was detained by the DIS and their car was impounded. He claimed that in attempts to rekindle the love between Bangwato and the BDP, President Masisi was going around claiming that he ordered the security forces against any degrading arrests of Khama amid his pending cases, saying such statements were just a ploy to get the people of Serowe on his side.
Lesedi is also expressed a worry that the Serowe kgotla has now been turned into government property. He said that they wrote to the Kgosi as MPs of Serowe asking for the use of the Kgotla for official government purposes but that Kgosi Serogola Seretse's response was that they were belittling him by making such a request. Lesedi said only Cabinet members are given access to address the people of Serowe in the main kgotla.
He said it was shameful that the name of Sir Seretse Khama was being used for political expediency, citing the upcoming marathon event named after him, as well as the Sir Seretse Khama Day. In relation to that, he added that this past Saturday, the Uncles in the royal family wanted to consult the tribe about the upcoming Sir Seretse Khama Marathon as there has not been any official communication about the marathon to the people of Serowe.
Such could not happen as the kgotla could not be availed to them. In the past, Kgosi Serogola has lamented the tendency by royal uncles to use the kgotla meetings they call to attack government and to promote political intolerance of the ruling party
Lesedi questioned the motives of President Masisi whom he said was bringing multiple programmes for the people just a few months to the elections when they were not coming up with programmes in the last several years. He said that the livelihoods of Batswana would have greatly improved had they been given these programmes two or three years ago. He explained that the ruling BDP will spill out more programmes just so that they get their vote at the upcoming elections. He thus urged the nation to give power to the BPF so that they can give Batswana a better standard of living through programmes that will not be shoved down people’s throats at election year.
The BPF Secretary for the Central Region, Boipuso Ralekwalo explained that the BPF was ready to defend the seats they have claimed in the central region. Further, that the meetings and feedback they get from the people in wards give them a good indication that they can put up a spirited fight in the upcoming election. Ralekwalo added that the numbers that were pulled by the BDP at the Serowe rally were not organic as they transported a lot of people to Serowe who are not even going to vote in Serowe. Moreover, he revealed that the BPF has not been affected by the fact that they moved out of the UDC. He said that those who decided to remain in the UDC may have made a tactical move looking at the part of the country where they live. However, in the central region the dominant party is the BPF, he said, adding that they will soon unveil their candidate for the Palapye constituency.