Some constituencies are bracing for a fierce battle as the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) finally conducts its primary elections dubbed Bulela-Ditswe ahead of the national polls expected in three (3) months’ time.
These are the constituencies that have months ago been embroiled in infighting and complaints where even the party leadership among the Central Committee and Political Education and Elections Committee (PEEC) had to intervene. Botswana Guardian Reporter Nicholas Mokwena scrutinises some of the headlining constituencies.
GOODHOPE - MMATHETHE
The race between incumbent members of President Mokgweetsi Masisi’s cabinet being Finance Minister Peggy Serame and Health Minister Dr Edwin Dikoloti is by far now the most highly anticipated. There has been a lot of infighting in the build-up to Bulela Ditswe.
The Dikoloti camp has accused the Serame camp of using underhand tactics to intimidate their supporters. In one instance a case was registered with the Botswana Police Service in which a member of the Serame camp had threatened to shoot members of the Dikoloti camp with a handgun.
Others who had shown interest to contest being Kopo Mononi and Mokoko Gaboutloeloe are lagging behind. There has been speculation of money being flaunted in the constituency by the two rival camps. At one point the DIS was accused of having infiltrated the constituency.
PREDICTION: Inside information from the constituency is that Serame is an unknown. Her failure to interact close up with democrats has given Dr Dikoloti an upper hand as he is viewed as a people person. This is likely to give Dr Dikoloti an upper-hand and victory.
MMADINARE
This is another constituency that has cabinet members facing each other. It is a three-man race that has Minister of Lands and Water Affairs Dr Kefentse Mzwinila, Assistant Minister of Agriculture Molebatsi Molebatsi and Barulaganye Mogotsi.
The contest is highly anticipated between Dr Mzwinila and Molebatsi. Just like the Goodhope-Mmathethe constituency, Mmadinare constituency has also had its fair share of infighting. The incumbent Member of Parliament, being Assistant Minister Molebatsi has reported on numerous encounters to the BDP leadership complaining about structures and deployed members to the area.
What many within the party now believe is that Molebatsi has become an overgrown cry-baby who is afraid of going into elections. Controversy has not spared Molebatsi as he has been making front page news from issues of failure to settle his water bill to a lawsuit on allegations of fraud. Dr Mzwinila also has been accused of capturing the BDP structures, a claim he has vehemently dismissed. The fight between the duo is not new as they once clashed during an intriguing Bulela-Ditswe in 2019.
PREDICTION: With the continuous shortfalls of Assistant Minister Molebatsi and his alleged false promises to constituents for the past five years it is feared that he will not make it back to parliament.
BOTETI EAST
Who would have thought? The young and flamboyant Assistant Minister of Health Setlhomo Lelatisitswe faces a challenge from former Central District Council (CDC) Chairman Ketshwereng Square Galeragwe. Lelatisitswe a former medical practitioner, is applauded by many for being at the forefront of developing the Constituency. He has since been nicknamed Mr Projects.
Galeragwe on the other hand, has been a councillor for over 20 years now. In these 20 years he was Chairman for CDC for 10 years. It is said that during that period he failed to take advantage to do anything for Boteti, not even to address a kgotla meeting. When CDC was split and Boteti formed a District, councillors rejected him when he tried to stand for chairmanship - citing lack of capacity. They say even his ward (Letlhakane East) he enjoys minority votes.
PREDICTION: Assistant Minister Setlhomo Lelatisitswe is set to triumph over his challenger.
TATI EAST
The most interesting constituency in 2019. This is the Constituency that was previously held by Samson Moyo Guma. Guma would later on embark on a political expedition having won Bulela Ditswe. Following his expulsion from the BDP, Bulela Ditswe was held again for the area and saw Dr Douglas Letsholathebe emerging victorious against Shawn Sebele.
Dr Letsholathebe would later on be appointed to the Ministry of Education post the 2019 general election. It hasn’t been easy running this ministry. The education ministry has been labelled as an exit path from parliament. Some former ministers of education suffered a loss either at primaries or general elections. Dr Letsholathebe seems to have likely defeated this jinx.
Numerous complaints from the Constituency have fingered the party Secretary General of an attempt to have Dr Letsholathebe lose the Bulela Ditswe to Sebele. It is said Sebele enjoys overwhelming support from the Secretary General.
Those close to the events indicate that the pronouncements by Moyo Guma that he is supporting Dr Letsholathebe have not rubbed well with the party leadership especially the Secretary General Kavis Kario as he believes that such will be an indirect move by Guma to return to the BDP with a possibility to ultimately influence BDP internal elections.
PREDICTION: Insider information predicts that the area MP will sail through
FRANCISTOWN EAST
Honest Billy Buti is up against Francistown Mayor Golesedi Radisigo in an very interesting battle. Both gentlemen and former close friends shall be battling it out in the Bulela Ditswe. Much can’t be said, however incumbent Member of Parliament Billy Buti is faced with a mammoth task as most of his previous campaign team members have defected to Radisigo’s camp.
PREDICTION: The race is too tight. No clear winner is visible even though Radisigo’s proximity to voters is said to give him an advantage as the minister spent most of the time on government assignment.
SELIBE-PHIKWE WEST
A battle between the old and the new will be at play in this constituency as former BDP candidate Opelo Makhandlela, knuckles with the youthful assistant minister, Beauty Manake.
Manake has caused a roar in the BDP Selibe-Phikwe corridors as the possible victor due to her involvement in community work, an argument which has been dismissed by Makhandlela's camp. Manake is involved in almost every activity that takes place in the mining town.
Makhandlela who once contested in the constituency and lost to incumbent Dithapelo Keorapetse has expressed confidence of winning against the youthful cabinet member. This is also one of the constituencies where the party top brass is said to have interest in as they are divided on the two candidates. It is also one of those constituencies where efforts of compromise failed to materialise.
Calls were made for Manake to pave way for Makhandlela as she was relatively new to politics while others argued that she knows the ins and outs of the constituency having been born and bred in Phikwe. It is argued that even though Makhandlela is seen as the constituency veteran his political prospects are further imperilled by a murky cloud of suspicion, as whispers of his alleged involvement in a multitude of poaching incidents ring with disconcerting resonance. Makhandlela has sine indicated that he has been cleared in all the claims, which he termed as ‘political smear campaign’.
PREDICITION: Tight contest with Manake destined for a possible win
MOGODITSHANE WEST
This pits youth and sport minister and one of the young legislators Tumiso Rakgare against four (4) other contestants. It has however emerged that the real contest will be between Rakgare and former Councillor Oteng Mpudu. Other contestants are Bakang Matlho, Sethukani Gabanakgosi, and Christopher Letsatle.
Both Rakgare and Mpudu have had their fair share of controversies in Mogoditshane over issues of land. However, Rakgare’s woes have been made worse by ruffling feathers of most members of the various party structures from ward, branch and regional committees.
He is said to also not be a fan of the football fraternity which could play a hand in his downfall. Insiders have however not ruled out that even though the duo has the financial muscle, Gabanakgosi could be an under-dog who could shake things up.
PREDICTION: The constituency is likely to go either way
These are the constituencies that have months ago been embroiled in infighting and complaints where even the party leadership among the Central Committee and Political Education and Elections Committee (PEEC) had to intervene. Botswana Guardian Reporter Nicholas Mokwena scrutinises some of the headlining constituencies.
GOODHOPE - MMATHETHE
The race between incumbent members of President Mokgweetsi Masisi’s cabinet being Finance Minister Peggy Serame and Health Minister Dr Edwin Dikoloti is by far now the most highly anticipated. There has been a lot of infighting in the build-up to Bulela Ditswe.
The Dikoloti camp has accused the Serame camp of using underhand tactics to intimidate their supporters. In one instance a case was registered with the Botswana Police Service in which a member of the Serame camp had threatened to shoot members of the Dikoloti camp with a handgun.
Others who had shown interest to contest being Kopo Mononi and Mokoko Gaboutloeloe are lagging behind. There has been speculation of money being flaunted in the constituency by the two rival camps. At one point the DIS was accused of having infiltrated the constituency.
PREDICTION: Inside information from the constituency is that Serame is an unknown. Her failure to interact close up with democrats has given Dr Dikoloti an upper hand as he is viewed as a people person. This is likely to give Dr Dikoloti an upper-hand and victory.
MMADINARE
This is another constituency that has cabinet members facing each other. It is a three-man race that has Minister of Lands and Water Affairs Dr Kefentse Mzwinila, Assistant Minister of Agriculture Molebatsi Molebatsi and Barulaganye Mogotsi.
The contest is highly anticipated between Dr Mzwinila and Molebatsi. Just like the Goodhope-Mmathethe constituency, Mmadinare constituency has also had its fair share of infighting. The incumbent Member of Parliament, being Assistant Minister Molebatsi has reported on numerous encounters to the BDP leadership complaining about structures and deployed members to the area.
What many within the party now believe is that Molebatsi has become an overgrown cry-baby who is afraid of going into elections. Controversy has not spared Molebatsi as he has been making front page news from issues of failure to settle his water bill to a lawsuit on allegations of fraud. Dr Mzwinila also has been accused of capturing the BDP structures, a claim he has vehemently dismissed. The fight between the duo is not new as they once clashed during an intriguing Bulela-Ditswe in 2019.
PREDICTION: With the continuous shortfalls of Assistant Minister Molebatsi and his alleged false promises to constituents for the past five years it is feared that he will not make it back to parliament.
BOTETI EAST
Who would have thought? The young and flamboyant Assistant Minister of Health Setlhomo Lelatisitswe faces a challenge from former Central District Council (CDC) Chairman Ketshwereng Square Galeragwe. Lelatisitswe a former medical practitioner, is applauded by many for being at the forefront of developing the Constituency. He has since been nicknamed Mr Projects.
Galeragwe on the other hand, has been a councillor for over 20 years now. In these 20 years he was Chairman for CDC for 10 years. It is said that during that period he failed to take advantage to do anything for Boteti, not even to address a kgotla meeting. When CDC was split and Boteti formed a District, councillors rejected him when he tried to stand for chairmanship - citing lack of capacity. They say even his ward (Letlhakane East) he enjoys minority votes.
PREDICTION: Assistant Minister Setlhomo Lelatisitswe is set to triumph over his challenger.
TATI EAST
The most interesting constituency in 2019. This is the Constituency that was previously held by Samson Moyo Guma. Guma would later on embark on a political expedition having won Bulela Ditswe. Following his expulsion from the BDP, Bulela Ditswe was held again for the area and saw Dr Douglas Letsholathebe emerging victorious against Shawn Sebele.
Dr Letsholathebe would later on be appointed to the Ministry of Education post the 2019 general election. It hasn’t been easy running this ministry. The education ministry has been labelled as an exit path from parliament. Some former ministers of education suffered a loss either at primaries or general elections. Dr Letsholathebe seems to have likely defeated this jinx.
Numerous complaints from the Constituency have fingered the party Secretary General of an attempt to have Dr Letsholathebe lose the Bulela Ditswe to Sebele. It is said Sebele enjoys overwhelming support from the Secretary General.
Those close to the events indicate that the pronouncements by Moyo Guma that he is supporting Dr Letsholathebe have not rubbed well with the party leadership especially the Secretary General Kavis Kario as he believes that such will be an indirect move by Guma to return to the BDP with a possibility to ultimately influence BDP internal elections.
PREDICTION: Insider information predicts that the area MP will sail through
FRANCISTOWN EAST
Honest Billy Buti is up against Francistown Mayor Golesedi Radisigo in an very interesting battle. Both gentlemen and former close friends shall be battling it out in the Bulela Ditswe. Much can’t be said, however incumbent Member of Parliament Billy Buti is faced with a mammoth task as most of his previous campaign team members have defected to Radisigo’s camp.
PREDICTION: The race is too tight. No clear winner is visible even though Radisigo’s proximity to voters is said to give him an advantage as the minister spent most of the time on government assignment.
SELIBE-PHIKWE WEST
A battle between the old and the new will be at play in this constituency as former BDP candidate Opelo Makhandlela, knuckles with the youthful assistant minister, Beauty Manake.
Manake has caused a roar in the BDP Selibe-Phikwe corridors as the possible victor due to her involvement in community work, an argument which has been dismissed by Makhandlela's camp. Manake is involved in almost every activity that takes place in the mining town.
Makhandlela who once contested in the constituency and lost to incumbent Dithapelo Keorapetse has expressed confidence of winning against the youthful cabinet member. This is also one of the constituencies where the party top brass is said to have interest in as they are divided on the two candidates. It is also one of those constituencies where efforts of compromise failed to materialise.
Calls were made for Manake to pave way for Makhandlela as she was relatively new to politics while others argued that she knows the ins and outs of the constituency having been born and bred in Phikwe. It is argued that even though Makhandlela is seen as the constituency veteran his political prospects are further imperilled by a murky cloud of suspicion, as whispers of his alleged involvement in a multitude of poaching incidents ring with disconcerting resonance. Makhandlela has sine indicated that he has been cleared in all the claims, which he termed as ‘political smear campaign’.
PREDICITION: Tight contest with Manake destined for a possible win
MOGODITSHANE WEST
This pits youth and sport minister and one of the young legislators Tumiso Rakgare against four (4) other contestants. It has however emerged that the real contest will be between Rakgare and former Councillor Oteng Mpudu. Other contestants are Bakang Matlho, Sethukani Gabanakgosi, and Christopher Letsatle.
Both Rakgare and Mpudu have had their fair share of controversies in Mogoditshane over issues of land. However, Rakgare’s woes have been made worse by ruffling feathers of most members of the various party structures from ward, branch and regional committees.
He is said to also not be a fan of the football fraternity which could play a hand in his downfall. Insiders have however not ruled out that even though the duo has the financial muscle, Gabanakgosi could be an under-dog who could shake things up.
PREDICTION: The constituency is likely to go either way
