Bayford tipped for Gaborone Central
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Wednesday August 13, 2014 14:55
Mmegi has leant that the UDC executive has met and gave the affiliate partner, the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD), of which Motswaledi was the president, to suggest the name of a person who represent the party in the October 24 general elections.
Fellow coalition members, Botswana People’s Party (BPP), allocated BMD the constituency and Botswana National Front (BNF), who has taken a position to endorse whatever position the former, takes.
The BMD branch committee was to meet last night to conclude on the matter. “The branch committee will come up with names that will have to be approved by BMD national executive committee. The meeting is today (yesterday) and after they had agreed, then they will make the announcement about who is going to represent the party,” he said.
Among the names being mentioned were that of lawyer Dick Bayford and Professor Thapelo Otlogetswe. Motswaledi’s sudden passing from a car accident on July 30 left not just the nation paralysed in grieve, but shook UDC to the core which had Gaborone Central as one of the winnable constituencies.
Motswaledi was seen as the real threat to incumbent and Botswana Congress Party (BCP) candidate Dumelang Saleshando. Although two other candidates - Reverend Rupert Hambira the Botswana Democratic Party and independent candidate Sydney Baitsile are in the running - the competition was always between Motswaledi and Saleshando. The late BMD president and UDC vice president was to be launched on two weeks time, on August 30.
Meanwhile, the BMD chairman Nehemiah Modubule revealed that, as per constitutional requirements, the party has nominated Ndaba Gaolathe to be the acting president until the next congress.