Separate rings for Kapinga, Arone as Okavango splits into two
Mompati Tlhankane | Monday February 20, 2023 06:00
A change in demographics, migration from rural to urban areas, and shifting ideologies have determined elections outcomes in Botswana but historically the Okavango constituency, which has population size of about 34 217 and covering an area of 32,095 square kilometres has always been an opposition stronghold.
Election Trend
If you talk about the Okavango constituency, a number of legendary names pop up like the late Motsamai Mpho who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) between 1969 and 1979.
Then there is the late Joseph Kavindama who was the legislator in the constituency for 20 years in Parliament.
Okavango has been an opposition stronghold since 1966. Apart from 1979, when the revered Mpho was toppled by Bailang Salepito of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), Okavango has on every other occasion voted the opposition. Salepito of the BDP lasted only one term and in 1984 he was eliminated by then unknown politician, Kavindama of the Botswana National Front (BNF).
Kavindama was returned to Parliament in 1989 and 1994 under the BNF ticket. But in 1998, he was amongst the 11 BNF MPs who defected to form the Botswana Congress Party (BCP). Kavindama then made history when he became the sole BCP MP who retained his seat after the 1999 General Election becoming the first ever BCP MP.
He represented the Okavango constituency until 2004 when he lost the constituency to the BDP’s Vister Moruti whom he had defeated on several occasions. Moruti served as an MP for the constituency for one term between 2004 and 2009 only for the BCP to reclaim the constituency through then debutant and youthful Arone in 2009. Arone defended the constituency in 2014 but later defected to the ruling BDP just before the 2019 General Election. He lost the area to the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC)’s debutant Kapinga in 2019.
2019 General Election numbersWith the constituency having had close contests in the past general election, many people were looking forward to Kapinga versus Arone 2.0 in the next year’s general election but now it looks like the contest might never happen with the duo set to divide themselves amongst the two constituencies, Okavango West and East. In the 2019 General Election, Kapinga defeated Arone with a margin of 761 votes as he garnered 7,577 votes to Arone’s 6,816. Kabelo Jacob Mahupe of the Alliance for Progressives (AP) came third with 432 votes.
In the same election, there were 17,629 voters registered in the Okavango constituency but 14,959 total votes were cast with 134 votes rejected. The voter turnout in the constituency was 85% with 46% registered youth. There were 7,419 male voters and 10,210 female voters. There were also 3,038 voters aged between 18 and 25; 5,007 aged between 26 and 35; 3,860 voters aged between 36 and 45; 2,213 voters aged between 46 and 55; 1,554 voters aged between 56 and 65 and 1,957voters aged 66+.
The Commission’s reportIn their report the Delimitation Commission revealed that the reason for the decision to split Okavango into two is that the area is vast and has poor communication network.
When making the decision, the Commission noted that the then North-West District has been divided into Okavango District and North West District. They also observed that the newly established Okavango District incorporates Okavango Constituency and some villages and localities from Ngami Constituency. “The Commission acknowledges and appreciates submissions and proposals made by constituents. However, after evaluation of the same, the Commission resolves to realign the constituency boundaries to include some localities from Ngami constituency and divide it into two”. The Okavango East with a population of 21, 412 cover an area of 14, 065 square kilometres while Okavango West with a population of 26, 716 cover an area of 10, 569 square kilometres. Okavango East includes villages Gudingwa, Beetsha, Seronga, Xakao, Mohembo, Kauxwi, Tovera, Sekondomboro, Ngarange, Mogotlho, Gunotsoga and Eretsha. Okavango West on the other side includes villages like Etsha 13, Ikoga, Sepopa, Nxamasere, Shakawe, Samochema, Gani, Tsodilo, Nxauxau, Chukumuchu, Kajaja and Jao.
Arone’s comeback
The delimitation of Okavango will create an opportunity for new and veteran politicians. Speaking of veterans in the area, the man who has contested in the area in three different general elections and won twice, Arone, told Mmegi in an interview this week that he fears no competitor.
“At the moment I have not taken any decision because I am still consulting with my constituents,” said Arone who was recently introduced during a UDC rally in Maun. Arone, who is now under the Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) colours, said the decision about his candidacy will become clearer as time goes by because he does not want to impose himself on his constituents. Arone said the people of Okavango will show their hands if indeed they want him to represent them.
The former Minister of Basic Education says he has done a lot for the people of Okavango therefore, he will listen to what they have to say.
In terms of what the Delimitation Commission report means for his rivalry with Kapinga, Arone who recently told Mmegi that there is no way he can contest against the incumbent Okavango legislator if the BCP chooses to stay in the UDC, said the constituency split puts Kapinga in the East while he (Arone) sets his eyes in the West where it is his base. Arone, however, indicated that some people want him to contest in the east looking at some of the wards he had won in 2019. Arone said he does not fear anyone in the constituency because his 2019 loss was attributed to his defection to the BDP rather than the view that his opponent Kapinga was more popular. He said other people who might contest in the area are youthful candidates whom he refers to as his “children” in politics. “It is a good thing for youthful politicians to contest for elections because they are the ones who will take over in the absence of veterans,” he further pointed out.
Arone indicated that it should not just be him and Kapinga but the people of Okavango should be spoilt for choice. “We are glad that the people’s request has finally been heard. Honestly,we didn’t expect it but this constituency was too big,” he highlighted.
Kapinga grateful “I am very grateful for the dissection of the constituency into two. It is a very onerous task to do justice to the constituency in its current form. I believe with two MPs the constituency will be better served. The geographical size of the constituency made the constituency community fund of P10 million, woefully inadequate for our initiatives,” Kapinga briefly told Mmegi in an interview this week. Last year Kapinga was one of the five legislators expelled by the BCP conference in Mahalapye. After some intense soul searching, Kapinga applied for readmission into the party, and was welcomed with open hands by the BCP leadership.
Kapinga’s decision to make a u-turn to the BCP was influenced by reports on the ground from the Okavango constituency. Kapinga was said to be worried that he cannot make it to Parliament post the 2024 General Election in the Okavango constituency without the BCP. Now, Kapinga who is a former deputy commissioner of the Botswana Police Service (BPS) and an envoy, is settled at the BCP, which has confirmed that it would not contest under the UDC ticket in the upcoming general election next year. Kapinga recently revealed that he has learnt his lesson after defying the BCP alongside four expelled BCP MPs.
Constituency challengesOver the years, numerous poverty studies have regularly placed the Okavango constituency among Botswana’s poorest. Despite the beauty and tourism wealth, the area has some of the country’s poorest citizens. The constituency includes world renowned attractions such as the Okavango Delta and several national parks which bring thousands of tourists and millions of pula in income for safari operators every year.
A 2021 pioneering report by Statistics Botswana and UNICEF noted that the high end camps enjoyed by the world’s super-rich and which can fetch up to US$3,000 per night, exist alongside remote and desperately poor communities with poor access to nutrition, education, health and other basic necessities.
The report findings echoed a 2015 World Bank/Statistics Botswana which pegged the Okavango Delta area as the third poorest in the country with a poverty rate of 35%. The 2021 survey built on similar findings but focused on children, using UNICEF methodology. Previous studies have also indicated that agricultural activities in these areas are hindered by wildlife conflict and natural disasters. The suspension of hunting activities between 2014 and 2019 also dealt a blow to some of these communities as a key source of communal revenue was removed, while photographic tourism failed to fill the gap.