Broken BPF retains Serowe West

Innocent Selatlhwa | Tuesday July 11, 2023 06:00

 

The BPF, supported by Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), won the by-election through Onalepelo Kedikilwe’s 2,933 votes. BDP’s Moemedi Dijeng received 1,267 votes, BCP’s Sebusiso Ngwenya got a paltry 103 votes, and Kefilwe Koboto – who stood independently – amassed just 82 votes.

From the build-up to the elections, the BPF, with the backing of party patron, Ian Khama, was always the favourite to snatch the constituency.

The party’s final rally attracted a huge crowd with party president, Biggie Butale, UDC’s president, Duma Boko, and other senior members of the UDC, BPF and Alliance for Progressives (AP) present. Also in attendance was Khama via a virtual call throughout the proceedings. Speakers during rallies and other political gatherings were always quick to accuse President Mokgweetsi Masisi of mistreating Khama, something believed to have counted for multitudes of sympathy votes swinging the BPF’s way.

Even during the day of the elections, most who vouched for the BPF were doing so in support of their Kgosikgolo (Khama) whom they believe is in exile in South Africa because of Masisi’s harassment. While the BPF and UDC members were in song all night, only a handful of BDP members formed a choir that would later into the night vanish into thin air.

On the other hand, the BPF choir had been singing until the following morning just after 7am when their new Member of Parliament was finally availed to them. Before then they could only sing away at the entrance into Lady Khama Hall as heavily armed police officers ‘protected’ the counting centre. The police had come in huge numbers reportedly because there were fears that BPF members would cause riots. In an interview with The Monitor shortly after the victory, Kedikilwe who has been working as Tshekedi’s constituency officer, said he would finish off what his former boss started.

“I am happy that we won. I expected that we would win because of the support of our patron. We also worked hard on the ground to ensure we indeed win. It will also not be difficult for me to work with people as I had already been working with them at the constituency office. I do not intend to make anything new, but rather focus on the projects we already had,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ngwenya conceded defeat. “I am proud that I took the step to contest even though we were the underdogs. We cannot, however, deny the Khama factor came into play for them to win. We all know it is difficult to stand against a Khama in their own backyard,” he said. The BPF won its first ever by-election to be called due to a legislator not attending Parliament sessions. The by-election was the 18th since the 2019 General Election. About 15 of them have thus far been won by the opposition while the BDP won only three.