Why Balopi withdrew from the SG election race
Chakalisa Dube | Monday March 28, 2022 06:00
Balopi is one of the few politicians in the country who have enjoyed a spectacular rise in their political careers in the last decade. He was first ushered into the political scene slightly over 10 years ago when he was co-opted as the SG following the resignation of Kentse Rammidi. Balopi would go on to establish himself as one of the most trusted personalities in the ruling party. He later won the 2019 general election in the Gaborone North constituency. He also earned himself a place in Cabinet after the 2019 elections. He, however, resigned from the latter position late last year amid reports that he has been pushed out by President Mokgweetsi Masisi. Dynamics have now changed since he fell out with Masisi. Reasons for the fall out remain vague but Masisi is reportedly rooting for Lesang Magang to take over as the SG. For over a year, Balopi has become a quiet and isolated figure in the BDP. He hardly takes part in key party activities.
This is despite the fact that the SG is considered to be the heartbeat of the party. President Masisi now appears to have appointed his vice and party chairperson Slumber Tsogwane the party’s default SG. Slumbisto as Tsogwane is widely known among BDP diehards is now the party’s poster boy. He has been leading major party activities around the country. Prior to the announcement of the decision not to run for re-election, Balopi appeared to be consolidating and aggressively preparing for central committee (CC) elections. He did not disclose the reasons for not defending his seat. But news that he will sit out of the central committee elections was inevitable to some extent. Without the support of president Massisi and high-ranking party figures, Balopi was going to struggle to make headway in his campaign. Traditionally, it is hard to win against those who enjoy the backing of a sitting president or the party elite (in the BDP).
This is so because BDP diehards do not want to be seen to be defying their leader by voting his less preferred choice at the CC polls. The ‘Masisi or nothing’ chorus is also gaining impetus in the BDP. That is why it was going to be tough for Balopi to master a victory against the President’s preferred candidates. It cannot be denied that Balopi is very attractive as a politician.
But the legislator might have been concerned that being isolated or barred from leading party activities meant that he could not effectively drum up support for his campaign ultimately reducing his chances of winning the elections. The other scenario is that, had Balopi continued consolidating and preparing for the elections, Masisi would have become increasingly frustrated. His (Masisi) only counter option would have been to engage in underhand tactics in a bid to ensure that a candidate of his choice triumphs. Perhaps in deciding to let go ambitions to defend his SG seat, Balopi was trying to avoid the consequence. There is a school of thought that under Masisi, the BDP has created a culture of annihilating CC election hopefuls who do not enjoy the backing of the party elite.
For example, when Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi expressed her desire to contest for the position of BDP president against Masisi, ahead of the 2019 general election, the latter was accused of frustrating her efforts until she pulled out of the race at the 11th hour. Venson-Moitoi directly attributed her withdrawal from the race to the bullying and ill-treatment by Masisi during her campaign. When reacting to Balopi’s decision to step down political analyst Adam Mfundisi said he believes that several factors might have contributed to the Gaborone North MP’s sudden decision to pull out of the BDP CC elections race. “My initial reaction is that MP Balopi is a coward as well as a strategist.
He is a coward because he has failed to defend the party as SG when the party is under assault by narcissistic elements within the BDP. MEK and his disciples have succeeded in marginalising challengers to the throne,” Mfundisi posited. Mfundisi strongly believes that Balopi might have chickened out because of threats and intimidation. He says that the development is to some extent not surprising.
He said: “This BDP regime is vindictive, and the MP knows it. Withdrawing was a strategic move because he assessed his chances to defend the seat to be difficult. The Masisi brigade has the constitutional and legal apparatus to deploy and outsmart him. He is also abundantly aware of the devastating consequences on Mma Venson-Moitoi when she challenged the status quo.”