SHAM ELECTION

What was meant to be a celebratory moment for the Botswana National Front (BNF) Women’s League instead turned into a storm of chaos, discontent, and political theatre.Their elective congress held over the weekend in Letlhakane spiralled into confusion, dramatic withdrawals, and accusations of deep-rooted electoral fraud.In a shocking turn of events, the then Women’s League President Katlego Morolong was overwhelmingly unseated by Cinderella Monica Molome, whose Team Maatla swept all positions.However, the victory was quickly clouded by controversy, with rival camps pulling out and crying foul.BNF Party President Duma Boko, who was billed as the keynote speaker and expected to calm tensions, did not attend the congress. In his place, party spokesperson Moeti Mohwasa stood in. But to many, Boko’s absence was louder than Mohwasa’s words.Cracks began to show early as the Congress got underway. Both Team Stability, led by Morolong and Team Resilience led by Tebogo Makhakhu raised red flags over the electoral process.Chief among the complaints was the absence of a verifiable voters’ roll; an essential document to authenticate eligible voters.In a detailed and impassioned statement, Team Katlego announced their withdrawal before ballots were counted.“It is immoral to participate in unjust and corrupt elections,” the statement read.“Without a voters’ roll, there cannot be a transparent, credible election. We raised objections, both verbal and written, but our concerns were dismissed. The NEB made a U-turn, forcing a compromised election forward.”Team Resilience echoed similar concerns and also walked away from the process.Despite the pull-out, the election continued. And just like that, Team Maatla claimed victory across all leadership roles.The new BNF Women’s League leadership, elected under Team Maatla is made up of: President Cinderella Monica Molome; Vice President Gabbie Sento; Chairperson Tiny Saitsoketsa; Secretary General Sadi Moremong; Deputy Secretary General Onalenna Bobebe; Treasurer Cecilia Molefhi; Labour Secretary Bonolo Mokalakane; Organising Secretary Kedibonye Batlang; Health & SocialWelfare Mmamiki Rabaji,; Secretaries for Economics Cathrin Bosele; Information & Publicity Gaone Modisenyane; Political Education Gofaone Letlape and International Affairs Hannah Keolopile.When approached for comment, Molome was calm and focused.“Unfortunately, I don’t know of the said allegations, hence I can’t comment on that,” she told The Midweek Sun, later adding that a press conference would be held to unveil her team’s roadmap.A voice note from an anonymous delegate began circulating on social media and WhatsApp groups, adding more gasoline to an already explosive weekend. The voice note accused some factions of vote buying and hijacking internal democracy.“Madi a kwano a dikologa go hetisa sengwe le sengwe. Hao bona ditlhopho tsa bomme le tsone di rekwa yaana, go raa gore le tse di tlang go tlaabo go tuka. Go nna gautshwane le Tautona ke mathata, ke mathata a matona-tona. Ne re ithaa re re dilo tse di iriwa ko Domkrag, go raa le rona re Domkrag e yellow,” the voice note revealed, suggesting that at the congress, money was used to buy votes, and that if such was happening at that level, then the worst should be expected for the imminent Central Committee elections. "Being close to the president now comes with major problems.We used to think only Domkrag did this, but now we are Domkrag in yellow.”The voice note struck a nerve. While some dismissed it as frustration, others viewed it as an insider’s confirmation of corruption creeping into the rulers' politics.Morolong, the outgoing president, has not responded to media queries.One of her supporters told this publication, “This election was not about the will of the people. It was a show of money and connections. And now they want us to pretend that nothing happened?”This weekend has exposed more than just a rift in the BNF Women’s League, it has revealed a party at war with its ideals.For an organisation that has long prided itself as a beacon of democracy and justice, these events raise uncomfortable questions about transparency, leadership, and integrity in the BNF – the central party in the ruling Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) coalition. Unconfirmed reports say the divisions witnessed in Letlhakane are aligned with those at the top in the party hierarchy - with the winning factions said to be sympathetic to current Secretary General Ketlhalefile Motshegwa's faction, while the losers allegedly back Mohwasa's faction for impending Central Committee elections.

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SHAM ELECTION