'I will rise again' Moswaane is never one to let go

Chakalisa Dube | Friday November 8, 2013 16:11

 

Dubbed Francistown’s most colourful politician, Ignatius Mokwaledi Moswaane shares some of the feats displayed by the Hungarian-American. Moswaane has always managed to overcome his challenges. In 2003 during his bid to make a debut as Monarch South councillor Moswaane faced a host of challenges.

First, no one gave him a chance during the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) primaries ahead of the 2004 general elections against Lyzer Maguswi, who was the area councillor at the time. The 50-year-old Sefhare-born was deemed a greenhorn, a novice who was an unknown quantity compared to a well-oiled politician like Maguswi.

Lo and behold! Moswaane thumped the erstwhile political heavyweight. In utter disbelief, the party ordered a re-run of the 2003 primaries after it was said that there were some irregularities. The outspoken politician defied the odds and emerged victorious in the re-run of the BDP Bulela Ditswe (primaries) and eventually won the general election in 2004.

December of that year Moswaane was elected Francistown Mayor, a post he held until the middle of 2007 when he passed the baton to Buti Billy. Just when he thought the dust had settled another stiff challenge that threatened his political career surfaced. It was in 2008 at the Monarch South party primaries to qualify for the candidacy in the 2009 general elections. He was defending his council seat.

Moswaane had narrowly beaten the then specially nominated councillor, Baboni Mosalagae 155-154 in the first primaries leading to the 2009 general elections. The party leadership ordered a re-run after Mosalagae complained that there were irregularities. In the re-run Moswaane got 266 votes to Mosalagae’s 307. Moswaane protested the outcome. 

He cited a litany of allegations, including voter trafficking and fraud by the victor and demanded that the primaries be held for the third time. “There was inclusion of new names in the voters roll. Some of the voters were trafficked from the neighbouring Monarch West. The voters’ roll had 2,007 names only to discover that this time around there were 2,800 names,” he told Mmegi at the time.

The BDP leadership refused to heed the complaints of the man with a number of sobriquets. He is also called “Timmy”, though he readily answers to “Best”. He is called Best perhaps for his ability to come out tops when he is faced with challenges in his political career. Moswaane quit the BDP and stood as an independent candidate in the 2009 general elections where he trounced Mosalagae 690 to 317. In 2010 he retraced his footsteps to the BDP.

Moswaane is now facing what can be termed the biggest challenge of his political life. The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) recently barred him from contesting the upcoming by-election to replace the late Tshelang Walter Masisi. His triumph over his opponents, Whyte Marobela, Angelina Sengalo and Kago Phofuetsile was supposed to make him the candidate for the Francistown West parliamentary by-election against the Botswana Congress Party and Botswana People’s Party (BPP).

Marobela, a former BPP president who defected to the BDP, protested the October 5 primaries citing irregularities. However the party central committee refused to grant the 72-year old Marobela a hearing saying that he had not followed the right procedure when submitting his protest. A High Court ruling on Friday last week stated that the party should not submit Moswaane’s name to the IEC to contest the by-election until Marobela is granted his right to be heard. At the time of registration late last week, the BDP maintained that it abided with the court order to give Marobela a fear hearing, while the IEC said the BDP did not bring proof to show that they complied with the court order.

Moswaane, through the BDP, is expected to file an urgent application at the Lobatse High Court. He is to maintain that he complied with the court order and that the IEC was wrong to prevent him from registering to contest the much-anticipated by-election.  

There is, however, no doubt that many are asking themselves whether Francistown’s political poster boy will, like Houdini, wrestle himself out of a slippery political path. Early this week, Moswaane confirmed that through his party, he would approach the courts in a bid to force the IEC to register him.

“I have never had anything on a silver platter in my political life. I have faced a lot of hostilities during my political career but managed to overcome them. I will rise again,” was his parting fervent promise yesterday.

The party is expected to approach the high court on Monday to proceed with their application for Moswaane to be one of the candidates for the Francistown West constituency by-election.