Moseki sharpens sabres for general elections
Chakalisa Dube | Thursday April 17, 2014 14:52
“I have prepared vigorously for this election. I never rested after the 2009 general elections,” he adds.
Moseki, the BCP secretary for international relations, is widely known for his open criticism of the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP)’s policies both in the social media and through newspapers.
He has “been there and done that” on the country’s political landscape.
For more than a decade the bald-headed burly politician has been trying to gain entry into Parliament without success. He fell in 2002 during his initial attempt in a by-election to replace former Minister of Health and IMF vice president, Joy Phumaphi. Phandu Skelemani won the by-election.
In the subsequent general elections of 2004, Moseki once more failed to dislodge Skelemani, as was the case in 2009 when Skelemani, the current “rooftop” diplomacy Foreign Minister, frustratingly stood in his way.
Despite falling for the umpteenth time, Moseki is not throwing in the towel just yet. He will be taking on BDP’s new kid on the block, Buti Billy and a relatively unknown Theresa Mmolawa of the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD) this time around
However, the question that remains in the minds of many is why Moseki, a decorated lawyer who owns a fairly thriving law firm in Francistown, is still eager to go to Parliament despite many failed attempts?
Is he after power as many political observers claim?
When the above two questions are put to him, Moseki who has been cracking jokes for most parts of the interview at his law firm offices near the Institute of Health Sciences, suddenly assumes a poignant visage.
He maintains that the BDP government does not take the city seriously, which is why he has made it his mission to contest for political office so as to ultimately enter the hallowed corridors of the National Assembly.
Here, (in Parliament) is where the legal eagle intends to influence positive change for his beloved city.
“The way the BDP leadership has treated residents in the city over the years is frustrating.
“The BDP has no innovative ideas as to how it can take the economy of the city forward. We need a party and individuals who can take the economy of the city forward and I believe I fit the bill together with the BCP,” he says.
In his own assessment the, BCP Parliamentary hopeful feels that infrastructure-wise, Francistown is miles behind despite being classified as the country’s second city. “We have potholes on the roads and the general infrastructure of the city is dilapidated. Even the roads that were constructed recently are not durable because they were built by certain foreign companies who do not put much emphasis. The city cannot attract investors when its infrastructure is not up to scratch. We need to correct this as the BCP,” he says vehemently.
The recent rains exposed the poor roads and drainage system of the city, according to Moseki. He attributes this to the failure of the BDP to invest in durable road networks and development projects.
“The rains did not only wash recently built tarred roads away, but also left stagnant water everywhere, which shows that the city needs better drainage systems.
“These were just normal rains that should not have caused such damages to the city’s roads. At BCP we will reverse this if we are given the chance to go to Parliament,” he says.
Moseki is also of the view that the present political leadership of the country does not adequately market the city as an investment destination of choice.
“I am convinced that with the proximity of mines in Orapa, Matsiloje and other mines in the north, the city should be attracting investors, but my view is that political will to market the city is lacking. My mandate, should I go to Parliament, is to address the above issues. Marketing the city should not be by word of mouth only as is currently the case with the BDP leadership, “ he adds.
According to Moseki, the BCP intends to devise more pragmatic plans and policies that can help market the city to investors apart from the word of mouth that he says is currently being employed by the powers-that-be.
Moseki also maintains that industries like Bolux Milling, which employed many people in the city, had to close and relocate because they did not enjoy support from the political leadership of the city. He says that should he win, he will advocate for support of the business sector.
Moseki also believes that the education system is struggling to produce industry-ready graduates as it fails to address the country’s human resources needs. “Since independence, the BDP has failed to produce suitably skilled and qualified workers in critical areas such as engineering. This shows that it has failed Batswana and has to pave way for other parties with fresh ideas. “If there were properly skilled citizens, then I am convinced that areas such as Francistown (as a city) would be having thriving industries because the citizens would be well-equipped with skills to run and work in various industries. “We would not be bringing many expatriates (such as Chinese) to do works or operate businesses in the country if we had skilled people,” charges the lawyer who holds a Master’s Degree in Law from the University of Cape Town.
Moseki is also unfazed by the prospect of facing Billy at the general elections. Observers believe that the race will be between Billy and Moseki because Mmolawa is relatively unknown. This is probably influenced by Moseki’s results, which have been improving every election year. Moseki garnered 3,130 votes while Skelemani attracted 3, 698 at the 2009 elections. Moseki led in four of the six wards at those polls.
At this year’s general election he was tipped to beat Skelemani whose popularity in the constituency has been fading after the 2009 polls, perhaps explaining why he lost to Billy in the BDP primaries.
However, political observers believe that the presence of a new candidate could confuse voters and work against Moseki.
“Yes a new candidate can bring confusion to the voters, but again one cannot divorce Billy from the BDP failures in the city because he is part of the party. “Residents in the constituency are aware of the failures of the BDP so I believe this will work for me,” Moseki says.
Should he lose, he does not rule out the possibility of contesting a fifth time. “If I lose this year, contesting the elections in 2019 will depend on the energy I will have then,” says the 58 year-old married father of three.