Botswana Not Ready For HE Madam President

Last week Thursday, I found myself on the “wrong” side of the debate on GabzFM. Living in rural Botswana where the airwaves are the domain of government media, Radio Botswana, I had lost track of morning radio programming on private radio stations, a major disenfranchisement to a news obsessed newshound like myself.

So when GabzFM called the day before to ask me to participate in a debate, I assumed, wrongly, that it was the usual discussion on a subject matter. Little did I know that Gabriel, the presenter, was pitting me against one of the country’s articulate politicians, and former deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Rre Pono ‘PPP’ Moatlhodi, and that what I was on, was a debate in the true sense of the word.

And when I lost the toss, on a debate which needed me to be a proposer not opponent, I was thrown off balance. The subject matter, ‘With a woman contesting for the presidency of the ruling party, is Botswana ready for a female president?’ Yes of course, that was my answer. But the toss said I should oppose that view, and with PPP on the other side, I knew I was in for a rough ride. Though I don’t know what radio listeners voted for as the best debater, my friends, my crew, assured me I gave the veteran politician a run for his money. I just say I held my own.

Editor's Comment
Inspect the voters' roll!

The recent disclosure by the IEC that 2,513 registrations have been turned down due to various irregularities should prompt all Batswana to meticulously review the voters' rolls and address concerns about rejected registrations.The disparities flagged by the IEC are troubling and emphasise the significance of rigorous voter registration processes.Out of the rejected registrations, 29 individuals were disqualified due to non-existent Omang...

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