Serame, Dikoloti’s ‘secret’ campaigns heat up
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Monday June 26, 2023 06:00
The two are said to be ready to battle it out. There is also yet another contender, being the former councillor, Kopo Mononi. Apart from being a Minister, Dikoloti is the Member of Parliament (MP) for the current Mmathethe/Molapowabojwang which has now been split. Serame is the Special Elected Member of Parliament and also the BDP's Women’s Wing chairperson. Already, the constituency MP aspirants are constantly engaging the local people. This has not gone well with some people in the area who are complaining that the ministers are going against party rules and regulations for primary elections. “The party committees are failing to protect some members who are also willing to contest for the area because what ministers are doing is early campaigns. This is going to disadvantage other members who are not campaigning as they await the party to make announcements. Dikoloti and Serame are busy holding activities in the area and their motive is clear. They might not be saying it but one can tell that they are campaigning,” a source told Mmegi this week. The source further revealed that the two ministers have made the area MP for Goodhope/Mabule Eric Molale irrelevant by increasing their visibility in his area.
Mmegi also contacted some residents of the new Mmathethe/Goodhope constituency to get the feel of the political terrain in the area. One of the residents Thebeyame Magosi said Dikoloti has been very active in the area even before the said constituency was split. “What should Dikoloti do when he gets an invitation from the constituents? Again, he has been giving back to the community by helping them through football tournaments since 2015, youth business workshops and horse races which he has been doing for years. For example, Dikoloti has been doing tournaments and horse races at Segwaragwara cattle post which is at Mabule and that is where his cattle post is,” he added. He said recently, Dikoloti was invited by residents of Goodhope/Mabule for the Miss Barolong and has since also been invited for an event at Sekhutlane village in the same area. Magosi said people who are complaining must understand that Dikoloti has schooled with some residents in the Borolong area while some are his relatives. He said Mmathethe and Barolong residents are more related and people should not be shocked if Dikoloti is at Goodhope and start accusing him of campaigning.
Beach Maoketsa said Dikoloti has been doing charitable work in those areas even before he joined active politics. On the other hand, Lenkutile Basielwang said: “Serame is helping the constituents like any other person and she resides in this area. If someone is donating or doing charitable work in the area, why is it associated with primary elections? Again, she is invited to the events like any other MP. The party has not announced or declared that it is holding a primary election. People should let those who want to assist the youth who are unemployed with ideas to make a living do so. Serame has never told anyone that she is campaigning for elections or her donations are associated with something.”
She said some people who are after Serame’s charitable work are the ones who are secretly campaigning for other people who want to contest in the area. Another resident Kebafilwe Lemogang said even if primary elections have not been announced, current events in the area show that some people are quietly campaigning. Lemogang said everyone is trying her or his luck therefore it is wrong for people to lure for support quietly. “At least the secret campaigns going on are not dirty like ones before. One can clearly tell that it is done by mature people who have the best interest of the party. Serame, Dikoloti and Mononi have relatives in this area. The primaries will be quite interesting for the three candidates,” he said. He said his wish is for the two ministers to keep on working together even after the primary elections because it shows that the constituency could go far. Omphitlhetse Kebalepile said: “Even if Mononi is a former councillor, he has never stopped supporting residents of this area. They are the ones who stood with the constituents when the opposition won Goodhope/Mabule from the BDP. They made sure that party structures do not collapse. It will be unfortunate if people still associate what he does with campaigns.”
He said it is early for people to start associating the help residents get from legislators with primary elections. At first, Serame intended to contest at Goodhope/Mabule before it was merged with Dikoloti’s Mmathethe/Molapowabojwang. Dikoloti has always intended to defend his seat as an MP for Mmathethe/Molapowabojwang. Due to the collapse or the merging of those constituencies, Serame and Dikoloti might face each other or one has to withdraw from the contest. The re-arrangement of boundaries which resulted in the formation of new districts made 60%-70% of the Goodhope/Mmathethe constituency to fall under Mmathethe/Molapowabojwang. Serame is said to be backed by President Mokgweetsi Masisi, who is reportedly grooming her for the vice presidency seat post the 2024 General Election in case the BDP wins. Serame will contest the party primary elections for the first time since dumping the public service in 2019 to join politics.