Another Bulela Ditswe appeal in Bobirwa

ONALENNA MODIKWA
Staff Writer | Thursday September 18, 2008 00:00

 

He claims that there has not been a free and fair poll. Letsweletse Mathape, who garnered 916 votes against Kgathi's 3,142 sent his appeal to the party's central committee.

In the appeal addressed to the party's executive secretary, Comma Serema, Mathape stated that he directed the appeal to the highest authority because he does not believe that the appeal will be treated fairly by the regional committee because he is appealing a result that has favoured the incumbent who works closely with it.

'In addition the regional committee chairperson, Nathniel Moribame is a personal friend and supporter of Kgathi and as such I am not likely to receive a fair hearing, hence my appeal directly to the Central Committee,' states the appeal.

He further stated in the appeal that Kgathi campaigned in a manner contrary to the code of conduct, especially since his supporters wore t-shirts and two-piece overalls throughout the campaign.

'He wore and distributed the said materials among his campaign team. This action has violated clause 15 and 16 of the code of conduct of the BDP primary elections,' complained Mathape.

Mathape further argued that the voters' roll had been irregularly prepared or deliberately tampered with affecting the results. There was a discrepancy in the names on the voters' roll from 9 February this year.

He added that the discrepancy in the voters roll is the most serious irregularity in the process leading up to the primary elections to the extent that the voters names that had appeared and were present in the previous rolls had been omitted by error or removed deliberately.

He further noted in the appeal that Kgathi had all the chance to collect voters rolls and membership cards from the party office in Gaborone to the constituency. 'I queried the branch secretary as to why the boxes were delivered with the seal broken'.

Mathape also indicated that some of the ruling party members who had authentic membership cards were denied the right to vote on the day of the elections.  Their names did not appear on the voters roll.

Unfounded allegations were made that some were members of opposition parties. 'Illiterate voters, who are many in Bobirwa, were not allowed to have election agents to hear what the voters' intentions were because election officers refused to read out the names chosen by the illiterate voters to the election agents,' Mathape argued.

 He further claimed that contrary to the rules, his opponent; Kgathi campaigned through his campaign teams and supporters in the premise yard and within the radius of 100 meters of the premises of primary election at Molalatau, Mathathane, Madikwe, Borotsi and Gobojango Primary Schools, including Molalatau Secondary School polling stations.
Mathape copied the appeal to Kgathi. According to the August 30 results, Mathape got 177 votes against Kgathi's 265 in Bobonong Central ward. He got 61 votes to Kgathi's 330 in Bobonong North West ward, got 161 against Kgathi's 338 in Bobonong East ward and 218 against Kgathi's 322 in Bobonong South West.

In Bobirwa North East, Mathape got only 98 against Kgathi's 609 and went on to get 68 against the incumbent's 250 votes in Bobirwa North. He also got 59 votes against the MP's 539 in Molalatau ward and 28 votes against the MP's 164 votes in Bobirwa East.
Kgathi won Mathathane ward by 328 votes to Mathape's 46.

Botswana Democratic Party Deputy Executive Secretary, Fidelis Molao, confirmed that his office has received Mathape's appeal. He said there was no problem in channelling his appeal directly to the Central Committee as long as he stated sound reasons why he did so.