Gloves off in Kgalagadi South
Ryder Gabathuse | Monday November 3, 2025 06:30
The by-election, which was precipitated by the passing on of former area Member of Parliament (MP), Dr Micus Chimbombi, has come at an interesting time in the country’s political affairs. His death has created a vacancy that the by-election will fill on November 15.
In Dr Chimbombi, Parliament and the country generally have lost a grounded man, widely accepted across the political divide.
The late MP was also an accomplished civil servant whose service record speaks for itself as a veterinary services director and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture. He died while serving as the Minister of Lands and Agriculture.
This by-election, which will be the first post 2024 polls, comes at a time when there has been transfer in the political parties’ fortunes.
The coalition Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) is in power whilst the former ruling party, Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), is now minority opposition in the National Assembly.
The BDP, which goes down into annals of history, as one of Africa’s longest ruling political parties after ruling the country for 58 continuous years, has been consigned to unenviable position.
Certainly, there will be no love lost when four strong political parties and an independent candidate slug it out for an essential vacant parliamentary seat.
Sad as the passing of Dr Chimbombi was, it however leaves the parties with a fundamental test to their strengths ahead of 2029 General Election.
The ruling UDC, through its coalition partner, Botswana National Front (BNF), is leaving no stone unturned in its endeavour to retain the seat. The coalition candidate is Joseph Tokyo Modise, whom the party trusts is sellable to retain the constituency.
The UDC should not fault in any way as the opposition is already breathing fire on its neck and might run away with the prize.
There is a history to the by-elections that saw the BDP failing to defend numerous vacant council seats post 2019 General Election, which somehow launched the UDC to victory in 2024 after winning majority of the council by-elections on offer.
The BDP is working indefatigably in its eadeavour to oust the UDC. The party is behaving like a wounded buffalo and its candidate, Diana Kaartze, is a familiar face in the constituency after unsuccessfully trying her luck in the 2024 General Election.
Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF), a splinter party from the BDP is weighing its chances as well, as a single entity.
It has chosen to break from its post 2024 General Election ‘gentleman’s agreement’ with the UDC.
Their decoupling comes despite the agreement earning them two executive positions in the UDC government.
Phenyo Sedimonyane is the BPF candidate who tried his luck in the previous polls, albeit without success.
Botswana Congress Party (BCP), which did not contest the 2024 General Election in the area, has thrown a hat into the ring with Tshephang Brooks bearing the party’s flag.
As the main opposition, the BCP is under pressure as it should be seen to be closely marking the ruling coalition even when odds are stacked against it.
Independent candidate, Kaveri Kealeboga Kapeko, who is a former magistrate, completes the list of interested parties rendering the race a crowded affair compared to the 2024 General Election, when it was a three-horse race.
Kapeko is a former civil servant who is testing his political mettle and prowess in a different ball game.
In Botswana, other than Nehemiah Modubule and Edwin Dikoloti, it is not really easy for an individual to easily win a parliamentary seat on their own especially a by-election.
Kapeko, who no doubt is the son of the soil, has a tall order in an area already torn apart by political parties and their operatives. It will take a miracle for the mokoko to turn the tables as there is a lot at stake here.
The UDC and three opposition parties are literally at war with each other for the control of the constituency. The political parties have long camped in the vast Kgalagadi South with the intention to possibly sway opinion.
The constituency, with about 20 wards, is one of the largest areas in the country.
This makes it very costly for any candidate to run in this area especially in a by-election where voters are literally followed wherever they are to come and cast their votes.
It takes sweat and blood, toiling and a leg and an arm to round up the entire constituency to sell policies and programmes of contestants.
In the 2024 General Election, the UDC had won majority seats in Parliament. The coalition parties under the banner of the UDC had garnered 36 seats, followed by the BCP with 15 seats; BPF got five, the BDP four, one independent MP and six Specially Elected MPs.
President Duma Boko and the Speaker of the National Assembly, Dithapelo Keorapetse are ex-officio Members of Parliament.
Since independence, Botswana has been using the first-past-the-post voting system, which gives the winner the right to take it all.
It does not seem any proposed reform of the Electoral Act or say the Constitution will in the near future alter this voting system as it gives the ruling party total power that is not consistent with the voting numbers.
The Botswana National Front (BNF) is a significant political player in the country, with a strong presence in the 13th Parliament.
In what might be strength, the BNF is rooted in social democracy, advocating for policies that promote social welfare and economic equality. Marxist-Leninist thought, although it has adapted to fit Botswana’s unique socio-political context, influences its ideology.
The party has a strong grassroots organisation, allowing it to mobilise support and implement its programmes effectively. Its decentralised structure enables community engagement and ensures that policies reflect the needs and aspirations of its constituents.
The coalition arrangement has somewhat quenched the BNF’s colourful campaigns characterised by its old and now disused symbol with an attention-grabbing description- e ntsho e e leroba.
The BNF has played a crucial role in shaping Botswana’s political discourse, as the main opposition party for many years before assuming power through the UDC.
It had provided a credible alternative to the BDP, which was then in power and had held the government accountable for its actions.
Even when the BCP drifted away in a second split a few years ago, since the Palapye debacle in 1998 that saw the BNF suffering a major split, the BNF soldiered on embracing the like-minded partners like Botswana People’s Party (BPP) and the Alliance for Progressives (AP).
The party’s policy agenda focuses on issues such as social justice: Promoting social justice and equality; advocating for economic development that benefits all Batswana, emphasising the importance of environmental sustainability and supporting gender equality and women’s empowerment.
The widespread of the ruling UDC that the BNF is a member is to create the requisite employment opportunities as young people are roaming the streets without jobs.
Botswana’s beleaguered economy, which heavily relies on mining, is experiencing the worst as diamond markets are at their lowest ebb, with the country’s glittering stones slowly being bought.
The BNF is part of the UDC coalition, which has buoyed it to work with other opposition parties to challenge the BDP’s dominance.
The urge to oust the former ruling BDP has dominated the BNF agenda from its foundational days making several attempts to unite the opposition parties without success until the 2024 General Election became a reality.
History reflects that the BNF was founded in 1965, shortly after the BDP’s landslide victory in the self-government elections and just before Botswana gained independence.
The UDC coalition’s strength in defending the Kgalagadi South by-election appears solid, considering their recent electoral success.
In the 2024 General Election, the UDC won a significant majority and forming the new government with Boko as the Head of State, deputised by Ndaba Gaolathe who is also the president of the AP.
In the first test post last year’s poll, the UDC will not rest on its laurels after tasting the power of incumbency, which seems to be giving them an upper hand in the current campaigns.