BDP old faces resurface
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Monday January 30, 2023 06:00
For example, the former Minister and Ngami MP Jacob Nkate, former BDP Secretary-General (SG) Thato Kwerepe and current BDP SG Kavis Kario are expected to make a comeback in the upcoming primaries.
The trio will battle for the Ngami constituency. Former Minister Kentse Rammidi is likely to contest for Kanye North constituency. Rammidi will challenge incumbent MP, Thapelo Letsholo.
Following his defection to the BDP, former Youth Need a Voice (YNV) leader and student activist, Poloko Pitwane is said to be vying for Gaborone Bonnington North. According to an inside source, Pitwane will face the Minister of Nationality and Immigration Anna Mokgethi.
Pitwane is the same man who backed Umbrella for Democracy Change (UDC) president, Duma Boko for the same constituency in 2014. Pitwane had then failed to register to contest the constituency.
Apart from former MPs seeking to make a comeback, Specially Elected MPs like the Minister of Finance Peggy Serame, Assistant Minister of Trade and Industry Beauty Manake, as well as the Minister of Lands and Water Affairs Kefente Mzwinila are targeting primary elections in their selected contituencies. Serame will contest for Bulela Ditswe at the Goodhope/Mabule while Manake is eyeing Selibe-Phikwe West where she will battle it out with Opelo Makhandela. Mzwinila will face incumbent Mmadinare MP Molebatsi Molebatsi.
For Manake, if she goes on to win the primaries, she will then have to work hard to win the constituency from the Leader of Opposition Dithapelo Keorapetse. Keorapetse has been expelled from the Botswana Congress Party and has been an MP for the area since 2014.
Even though he now faces a mammoth task following his expulsion from his political home, Keorapetse is regarded as one of the hard workers in politics who could do everything to retain the constituency under the UDC ticket.
That, however, does not rule out the fact BDP could snatch it from him considering the fact that BCP is already eyeing it with Keorapetse’s replacement. Usually in politics, it is not easy to win a constituency that was won by an opponent because it requires more time for one to win it back. Previously, the BDP used a compromise strategy to win opposition-held constituencies.
Again, what might work for BDP in some opposition-held constituencies is the fact that opposition parties are divided. Still on the issue of the BDP primary elections, the party constitution prevents members from campaigning or speaking to the media about their wishes until the Political Education and Elections Committee (PEEC) grants permission.
Currently, the dates for primaries have not been announced and members have not submitted their names for expression of interest to the party branch committee. According to the constitution, the members will be vetted out first at the branch committees and those who contravene party primary election regulations are normally barred from contesting.
Even if though the constitution does not allow members to campaign, Mmegi has learnt that some have started to secretly campaign in areas they want to contest in. However, the concerned members could not comment for fear of being disqualified.
When contacted for a comment, BDP Secretary-General, Kavis Kario said the dates for party primaries have not been announced and therefore every member is forced to adhere to the code and conduct of the party primaries. PEEC chairperson Alec Seametso said his committee is ready for the primaries. “Our committee keeps on preparing itself because our mandate is not only to conduct Bulela-Ditswe.
We do teach our members what our party means and what it wants to do for Batswana and its beliefs or ideology. For now, we are focusing on bye-elections that are supposed to be held within three months for council seats. We will do the rightful thing after the party central committee announces dates or months they wish primaries to be held on,” Seametso said in an interview on Thursday.