New Francistown mayor spells out vision
Lebogang Mosikare | Monday January 6, 2025 08:41
Majere, a councillor for Tshwaragano ward and the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) activist, was elected on Monday after he defeated Lesego Kwambala of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) by 17 votes to 12. Majere is deputised by Uyapo Nyeku, also of the UDC, who defeated Lillian Griesmier of the BDP by 23 votes to six. The Francistown City Council (FCC) has 29 councillors inclusive of seven who are nominated councillors. The UDC has 19 councillors inclusive of seven nominated councillors while the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) and BDP have six and four councillors respectively. Before being elected as mayor and deputy mayor, Majere and Nyeku defeated their comrades Peter Ngoma and Tshepo Pheko for their respective positions during a UDC caucus meeting on Sunday. The election of Majere and Nyeju marks a new chapter in the leadership of Francistown.
For many years, Francistown was under the leadership of the BDP, which was, however, dethroned from leadership of the city following a poor performance in the 2024 General Election. Majere told this publication on Wednesday that he is passionate about addressing the needs of the people of Francistown especially the underserved communities and the informal sector in order to create a more inclusive environment for all residents. Asked if he had what it takes to lead the people of Francistown, Majere said he has deep family roots in Francistown, a city he was born and bred in. “I have lived most of my life in Francistown and I have been a councillor in this city for the past 10 years. I have been a resident of Francistown for many years and I know the challenges of this city like the palm of my hand. I think that as a mayor, I have to set the tone of how we are going to move forward and what’s going to happen,” said an optimistic Majere. He added: “As the city’s new leadership from the UDC, we will implement some changes in the running of the city. We will look at the UDC manifesto and see what it has for the people of Francistown.
The reopening of the Tati Nickel Mining Company (TNMC) is one of our major priorities as the city leadership. I plan to meet with relevant stakeholders about the reopening of TNMC and see what opportunities are there on offer for the people of Francistown. TNMC used to offer many opportunities to the people of Francistown. I also want to see to it that projects that were not completed by the former regime in Francistown are completed within budget.” Francistown is owed millions in service levy arrears. In 2021, residents of the city owed the FCC P76 million in service levy arrears. Majere’s vision is to see through a flawless service delivery system that is grounded on a well-managed revenue collection system in order for the city to meet its development obligations to its residents. Quizzed on how he intends to solve the service levy collection problem, Majere said: “We should first meet the residents of Francistown and ask them why they are not able to pay the levy. After meeting them, we will have a better understanding of why they are not able to pay the levy. We will then underscore the need for the residents to pay the levy even if not in full until they pay fully their arrears because the money they owe is badly needed for the city’s developments and to bring services to the people. They have to pay their arrears for the city to meet its obligations to its residents.” Majare is also passionate about addressing the needs of the informal sector, which is one of the backbones of the city. “From the beginning of next year, I will meet the informal sector and ask them about their various challenges to better understand them. I was one of the people who devised the Francistown Informal Sector Strategy following a benchmarking trip to Zimbabwe. After meeting the informal sector, I will meet with officials from various government departments whose operations may be affecting the informal sector to see how we can assist the sector,” said Majere.
In his acceptance speech on Monday, he vowed to work effectively with all councillors regardless of party affiliation. He also thanked the councillors and the people of Francistown for having elected him as the city’s number one citizen. “I wholeheartedly accept your vote. These votes show that you truly trust us to lead the people of Francistown. For our city to develop, we need to work and pull in the same direction. If we are united, we will easily meet the expectations of the people of Francistown and therefore, I need your full support to accomplish my mission as the Mayor of Francistown. For our city to develop, we need the full support of councillors and council staff. Our journey in the new Botswana has just started,” said Majere.
He added: “I implore all councillors to bring motions that can take our city to new heights. Let us be serious when debating motions. We should spend most of our time debating motions and not engaging in trivial talk to make our city the city of all things precious.”