BDP’s Kwambala likely to quit politics
Chakalisa Dube | Monday January 24, 2022 06:00
Should the development come to pass, it would ultimately mean that Kwambala will cease being a councillor, meaning that a by-election will have to be declared to replace him.
This week sources told Mmegi that Kwambala will make his intentions known at a special meeting billed for next week. He is reported to have already notified the party leadership of his intentions to quit politics. It is said that he wants to resign as councillor before the end of the month.
Last Sunday, he announced through Facebook that he will make a ‘special announcement’ at a meeting he has scheduled for January 25 in his ward. The Facebook announcement heightened speculation that he intends to quit.
At the time of going to press, Mmegi sources intimated that the Vice President and BDP chairperson, Slumber Tsogwane was in the process of meeting Kwambala in a bid to persuade him not to quit. The party’s regional leadership is reported to be deeply worried that finding a suitable replacement for Kwambala might not be easy.
Reasons for Kwambala’s decision to quit remain unclear. However, some sources claim that he wants to solely focus on pursuing his master’s degree in Development Practice at the University of Botswana (UB).
Kwambala will reportedly start school towards the end of January. Insiders added that the youthful councillor has increasingly become frustrated in his position because he believes that it is not fairly rewarding, and he is considering seeking a full time employment while pursuing his postgraduate studies.
He would not be drawn into discussing reports that he plans to quit politics.
“If there is anything to that effect, I will make an announcement,” he said. Kwambala was however reluctant to discuss the agenda of his planned special meeting.
The Itekeng ward councillor did confirm that he will soon be starting his master’s degree at the UB soon.
BDP spokesperson, Kagelelo Kentse said the party was not aware that Kwambala intends to step down as a councillor. He however, conceded that it will be a very big blow to the party if indeed Kwambala steps down from his position as a councillor.
“If he resigns it means that the party will have to go through a by-election something that will come at a cost. There is also no party that wants to lose members,” he said.
Kentse further said that he was not aware of a meeting scheduled between Tsogwane and Kwambala. He however, said the meeting will be in order, reiterating that no party would want to lose any of its members regardless of the prevailing circumstances.
Kwambala’s desire to quit will come as a surprise to many. He has been widely tipped to replace Godisang Radisigo as Francistown mayor. Radisigo’s term in office ends in June this year. In fact, Kwambala’s campaign for the mayoral position appeared to be gaining momentum. He is considered one of the good debaters in the council and has often chipped with very memorable motions. He was first elected Francistown councillor in 2014 before he defended his seat in 2019.