Phikwe: Political Home Of The Homeless

MQONDISI DUBE
Correspondent | Monday May 26, 2008 00:00

Phikwe East is home to the sprawling impoverished Botshabelo location, where speculation has it that half of the town's population resides in the crowded residential area.

In the last five years, there has been significant improvement to the area's economy, with the opening of a bank, the refurbishment of the infrastructure, including sewer reticulation as well as the improvement of the road network system.

Although still miles behind other residential areas in development, Botshabelo has made strides in recent years.

Known as a haven for criminals, illicit brews and a high number of illegal immigrants, Botshabelo has presented generations of politicians with headaches and few solutions.
Political campaigns are centred on the constituency's underdevelopment, as it is crucial for any aspiring parliamentarian to win the hearts and souls of the Botshabelo population.
It is widely acknowledged that a politician who appeals to the Botshabelo residents is assured of snatching the constituency.

Out of seven wards in Phikwe East, four are in the populous Botshabelo. It is widely believed that constant political bickering in Phikwe East among parties is as a direct result of the fight for the control of Botshabelo.

Analysts believe that politicians flock to the constituency because Botshabelo voters are perceived to be easy to manipulate.

The congestion of candidates in Phikwe East has led to a plethora of problems for political parties.

Phikwe East is a new constituency, which came after the delimitation exercise which saw Selebi-Phikwe being divided into two constituencies.

Nonofo Molefhi became the constituency's first Member of Parliament after he defeated Nzwaligwa Nzwaligwa of the Botswana Congress Party and Poela Keotswetse of the Botswana National Front (BNF).

Molefhi had shrugged off the challenge of former Selebi-Phikwe MP, Daisy Pholo in the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) primaries.

Immediately after the demarcation of the constituency, Phikwe East witnessed the first of its many political fights when BCP's Nzwaligwa and his then counterpart, Benjamin Bagayi, contested the party primaries.

After Bagayi lost, he cried foul, arguing that the party leadership was favouring Nzwaligwa. His complaints fell on deaf ears and Bagayi subsequently defected to the BDP.
The other two parties, the BNF and the BDP enjoyed relative calm in the run up to the 2004 general elections.

However, a few months after Molefhi was voted into office, discord started simmering with fellow BDP members accusing the incumbent of incompetence.

BDP activist, Johannes Malepeng, who had contested and lost parliamentary elections in Tswapong against Thebe Mogami resurfaced in Phikwe East.

Although Malepeng had not openly stated his desire to challenge Molefhi, as BDP regulations forbid, it was an open secret that he was in the constituency to launch his 2009 campaign.

Early this year, former Phikwe Mayor, Bagayi entered the fray and declared his interest in the parliamentary seat.

Before the dust had settled, former Selebi-Phikwe town clerk, Itireleng Phatshwane also announced that he would contest the party's primaries. Before the BDP could open its doors for 'Bulela Ditswe', there were already four names waiting in the wings, ready to swoop on the constituency.

Malepeng reportedly informed party members that he was no longer contesting, but made a u-turn and rescinded his decision.

When Phatshwane announced that he was contesting the primaries, Bagayi beat a hasty retreat to his former council ward, Tlhakadiawa.

This has left three names in the hat from the BDP.

With the high number of BDP contestants interested in Molefhi's seat, it is said that clandestine campaigns are underway in the constituency.

To compound the situation, BDP operated without a constituency committee for long periods, an embarrassing situation for the ruling party.

All this was happening while Molefhi's opposite number in Phikwe West, Kavis Kario enjoyed peace as there was no threat to his crown from within his party.

The opposition BCP seemed not to have learnt any lesson from the 2003 bickering, which saw a sizeable number of supporters, including councillors Bagayi and Modise 'Super' Thipe, defecting.

Signs of discontent began showing well before the party held its primaries last November.
A number of activists were suspended for what was seen as indiscipline by the party leadership.

New entrant, Itumeleng 'Shine' Ngakaetsile and Nzwaligwa then got entangled in a fight for control of the constituency.

Ngakaetsile's rallying point was that he was 'the son of the soil' as he was born and bred in Botshabelo.

However, Ngakaetsile never got a shot at the parliamentary seat after the party barred him from contesting the primaries.

He did not take the issue lying down and, in an unprecedented move, he took the BCP to court.

Primary elections were halted as a result pending the High Court's judgement.

In February this year, the High Court ruled in favour of the BCP and Ngakaetsile vowed not to work with Nzwaligwa.

Across town, BCP leader, Gilson Saleshando was unopposed for the parliamentary elections.

Many thought that other parties which had not held their primaries were monitoring the situation closely and learning a few lessons.

However, the BNF was also forced to postpone its primaries in two wards in Botshabelo as candidates queried their rivals' eligibility.

The issue was referred to the party's National Elections Board and a decision is pending.
For the BNF in Phikwe West, there were consensus council candidates while Moeti Mohwasa stood unopposed for the parliamentary seat.

There is a belief that the infighting within different political parties is down to the fight for the Botshabelo voter. Analysts say the constituency has been infiltrated by opportunists who perceive the Botshabelo population as prone to manipulation as a result of their economic status.

Incumbent MP, Molefhi said while he had not done an analysis across parties, he believes that some politicians are taking advantage of the Botshabelo population.

'Most people flock to the constituency because they believe that it offers better prospects. Yes, the constituency is seen as easy prey,' Molefhi agrees.

He said the BNF's structures in the constituency are weak and that is why the party had imported 'someone from outside the constituency'. Billy Makuku is the BNF parliamentary candidate.

Molefhi said since the country's constitution does not bar anyone from contesting in a constituency of their choice, this might be another contributing factor. He said even party regulations allowed politicians to move across constituencies.

'This is the reason why people target a constituency that offers better prospects,' Molefhi said.

He added that politicians see Botshabelo voters as easy to manipulate and are fed falsehoods.

'Politicians go to the people and say all sorts of things. In fact they exploit their literacy levels and claim that an MP can block developments to certain areas. The role of the MP is to facilitate a conducive business environment,' Molefhi said.

He said politicians take advantage of the Botshabelo population's low income status and make promises which they don't fulfil.

In BCP parliamentary candidate, Nzwaligwa's opinion, the infighting in East is 'a direct result of the way people live'.

'The majority of people who stay in Phikwe West are professionals while life in Botshabelo is a struggle. It is always about fighting, selling beer and all the ingredients that go with the poor. That is the basis of the problems in Phikwe East,' Nzwaligwa said.

He said there are 'no sophisticated members in most families' and the majority are low income earners.

'Politicians are exploiting that weakness. They believe that these people cannot live without the politicians' decisions. Politicians believe these people do not have a stand,' Nzwaligwa said.

He said most of the politicians who flock to Phikwe East were opportunists who felt that people could be easily manipulated.

Nzwaligwa conceded that building structures in Botshabelo is a challenge to all parties. He said he would work towards reorganising families in Botshabelo and let them live their lives without the undue influence of politicians.

'We must provide guidance then let them live alone and face the future. As BCP, we want to turn around the constituency such that opportunists find it difficult to penetrate,' Nzwaligwa said.

'Look at Makuku, he was once in Tlokweng, Gaborone and Mahalapye and now he is here. You can see that he is an adventurer. Nonofo Molefhi has been in Mahalapye and Serowe and then he realised that Phikwe East is a soft target,' Nzwaligwa said.

He argued that most politicians 'use the constituency to sort out their personal problems'.

Nzwaligwa said if he had it his way, opportunists would be banished from the constituency.

'I wish there was banishment like in the past, during Tshekedi Khama's reign. The best medicine for such politicians would be to banish them and have a clean constituency,' Nzwaligwa said.

According to Makuku, his party has not experienced any problems in East. He said Phikwe West was enjoying relative stability because 'it was not heavily contested'.

'I don't consider BNF to be having problems in East. It's only two wards and during primary elections that is bound to happen particularly where you have two candidates,' Makuku said.

He said there was no problem regarding his candidature as he was unopposed. However, he felt the council elections could have been held if proper procedures had been followed.

'When institutions that are supposed to be neutral fail to prove their neutrality in the true sense, noise is bound to be heard,' Makuku said, in apparent reference to the elections board.

He said according to his analysis, most families in Botshabelo hold multiple party memberships. 'I haven't investigated why this is so. It may be socio-economic. Some politicians coerce people through money and food. In such cases, as BNF we have to resort to political education to avert that,' Makuku said.

However, Makuku disagreed that political parties are experiencing internal problems as a result of the fight for control of Botshabelo or to exploit its population.