Keorapetse banking on own ability to serve
Onalenna Kelebeile | Friday June 20, 2014 16:30
But that is the least of his worries and no inhibition to his resolve to fight for what rightfully belongs to Selebi-Phikwe.
In the October general elections, Keorapetse is pitted against Moeti Mohwasa of the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) and Opelo Makhandlela of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) in the Selebi-Phikwe West constituency.
“I am young of course, but what should matter is the ability to deliver. I have the energy, the drive and the hunger. I have been a resident of this town for over 20 years and I have lived with the problems of Selebi-Phikwe all my life. If I cannot solve the problems of this town then I cannot solve any problem at all,” he said.
Keorapetse does not believe there are threats of voter splitting in the opposition ranks, thus risking giving the vote to the ruling BDP.
“People of Selebi-Phikwe are not interested in trivial issues of the Umbrella but they want a representative who knows their plight and one who is keen to work day and night. They do not want cowards,” he said, in dismissing talk that BCP risked losing by not being part of the UDC coalition.
“Selebi-Phikwe needs a well established party which is strong enough to fight for the people. The Umbrella is not resonating well with this town while the ruling party candidate failed to fight for this town when it was marginalised in terms of developments like expansion of the technical college and relocation of the second university to Palapye,” he added, referring to the Palapye-based Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST), which had initially been earmarked for Selebi-Phikwe. He explained that he is interested in knowing the meaning of the saying that the ruling party’s survival is in the hands of BCP, arguing that his party did not run away from talks.
He said the Botswana National Front (BNF), Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD) and BCP signed an agreement that talks had collapsed and we went separate ways and the former “met to form an Umbrella. BCP is a party on its own. We cannot be forced by anyone to help UDC solve their problems.
“We are ready to tackle the BDP and we are ready to lead so the hackneyed talk about us putting electoral victory in jeopardy is a tired argument. “We have a formidable track record of cooperating with other political parties than any other party in the history of this country”. He said BDP would never win Selebi-Phikwe just because it is closer to the public purse.
Keorapetse joined BCP immediately after its formation around 1999 and said he was naturally intrigued by the politics of Gilson Saleshando and the heroism of the late Ditiro Saleshando, the brother to Gilson, who he described as a fearless labour activist for mine employees.
“The appalling conditions of Selebi-Phikwe people and Batswana lived in were eye openers to me. I never heard my father or any mine employee talking good about the mine. Naturally that drifted me to opposition politics,” he said.
His closest friend Olebile Sikwane is the one who really pushed him into BCP membership. His uncle Benjamin Bagayi’s language of politics also touched his heart.
“This is my first time to contest for a parliamentary seat but I have contested UB SRC positions including presidency on two occasions under BCP,” he said.
He said what compelled him to stand was to advocate for the town’s problems that includes unemployment and underemployment of youth.
He said youth basically wake up to stay at home, wait for the constituency league and the next call for Ipelegeng. “You cannot destroy youth at that age with such schemes. This is an insult. How can they start families?” he wondered.
He added that he is also concerned that 4,000 employees of the mine live in squalor yet BCL makes millions and that the mine cannot continue to export jobs to other countries.
He added that a refinery is needed here that can employ the youth. “Phikwe as a mining town needs a mining school. In my view BIUST must open a mining school campus in this town. We also need to look at how we can maximise on tourism and link Phikwe, Polokwane and Bulawayo,” he added.
He also said he was compelled by the fact that soldiers in the Eastern Military Garrison are underpaid and live in appalling conditions yet they are supposed to be protecting the nation.
“The police and health workers are depressed and we need to demand answers as to why the textile manufacturing industries relocated to Francistown and Gaborone,” he said.
He said one of the challenges of any opposition politician is the financial muscle to compete with the BDP as political parties in this democracy are not funded by the state.
Keorapetse was born in Mahalapye in 1982 moved to Selebi-Phikwe where his father worked for the mine for over 35 years and studied in the local schools until he enrolled at the University of Botswana.
He holds an undergraduate degree and a masters’ degree. He is currently a political science and public administration lecturer at UB. He is also the BCP youth league president as well as a vice chairman of Botswana Network, Ethics, Law and HIV/AIDS (BONELA). Keorapetse served as secretary general of University of Botswana Academic and Senior Support Staff Union (UBASSSU) and a council member of Botswana Federation of Trade Unions (BFTU).
The father of a one and half year old boy, Keorapetse is the BCP’s shadow minister of sports.