Hard decisions for weekend conferences

Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Friday July 18, 2014 14:12

Issues common to both the UDC and the BCP this weekend will be the budget required for each constituency, specific challenges in each area and an accurate assessment of the chances of winning in that constituency.

Reports from the constituencies will be critical this weekend in enabling party leaders and others to gauge a true picture of prospects ahead of October.

Botswana Congress Party

The BCP is aiming for victory in 29 constituencies although it believes at least 15 are winnable.

The “winnable” ones include Gaborone Central, Gaborone South, Gaborone Bonnington North, Gaborone North, Maun West, Sefhare/Ramokgonami both Selebi Phikwe constituencies, all three Francistown constituencies, Mogoditshane, Chobe and Okavango.

However, Francistown East will provide food for thought this weekend. According to insiders, the BCP is concerned that members in the constituency are not working hard enough to win the seat.

In 2009, the BDP scooped the constituency by a slim margin, polling 3,698 votes against the BCP’s 3,130. The margin convinced the BCP that victory was near certain in 2014, with just a little more hard work, unity or both needed.

However, panic bells rang last week when the launch of the party’s parliamentary candidate, Morgan Moseki, pulled a poor crowd. The party has since assigned its Secretary General, Kesitegile Gobotswang, to probe the constituency and report back whether the BCP stands a chance or not.

At the weekend, the BCP will also discuss constitutional amendments, which include more affirmative action and new powers for the vice president.

“This is not an elective Congress; therefore there will not be any bearing on the party’s governance structure.

“The Congress shall entail the opening speech by the party’s president and the reading of solidarity messages from various organisations, in particular trade unions,” BCP Executive Secretary, Akanyang Magama said.

Umbrella for Democratic Change

The UDC is targeting 25 constituencies in October, although the group is yet to indicate how many of these it believes it can actually win.

This weekend, the UDC will want updates from its regions on how campaigns are going and the challenges they are facing. The UDC’s three member parties, the Botswana People’s Party (BPP), Botswana National Front (BNF) and Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD), will each hold their conferences in different halls in Serowe, before coming together to hammer out a unified strategy.

One of the burning issues at the UDC this weekend is that the group started its campaigns late and in particular, delayed informing voters that the member parties would use the Umbrella symbol instead of individual logos.

The BNF leadership will have to brief members on the costs of the court cases it has been battling since it made the decision to join the Umbrella.

Another hot potato, the Tonota candidacy, will dominate informal hall-room discussions as it has already proved a divisive affair for the BNF in the constituency.

However, BNF Secretary General, Tapiso Kgosikoma, says a decision on the matter has been postponed to next week. On Wednesday, the party told journalists that the identity of the ticket-holder for Tonota would be unveiled today (Friday).

The BNF leadership will have to brief its members on the costs of the court cases it has fought in recent years.