Khama launches charm offensive in Francistown

Chakalisa Dube | Friday October 10, 2014 16:47

 

Khama, as the BDP president is also the party’s chief campaigner.

Now, with only a few weeks to go to the country’s polls, he (Khama) seemingly does not want to leave anything to chance.

He is coming to the Ghetto, as Francistown is affectionately known, at a time when the battle for the control of the city has reached fever pitch. In just one day, Khama has a very tight schedule that will commence with his trademark walk-abouts to bring him closer to hoi-polloi in the constituencies of Francistown-West and Francistown-East. He will later hold a rally in another tricky constituency of Francistown South, in which retired district commissioner; Sylvia Muzila is the parliamentary candidate.

For starters, Francistown-West is currently opposition-held after the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) won it in a by-election January this year.

The BDP was barred from contesting the by-election by a high court order following a successful court injunction by a BDP activist, Whyte Marobela.

The constituency consists mainly of the low-income dwellers.

No doubt, Khama and his top lieutenants are worried by the developments that resulted in the party losing grip of a constituency they held for the past 14 years.

Francistown West has been the BDP stronghold during the tenure of the late MP Tshelang Masisi who died last year.

Obviously there is concern within the party that if they do not play their cards well, they will kiss the constituency bye-bye. 

The BDP has fielded a very strong candidate in Ignatius Moswaane, a grassroots politician who knows where his bread is buttered.

The reality is that politics is a very dynamic game in which the best prepared candidate might emerge the winner even when least expected. The BDP political game plan might fail as the opposition BCP has promised to offer something to the people since Dr Habaudi Hobona tasted incumbency.

Even the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) apparently buoyed by the yet to be fulfilled promise of support from the Botswana Federation of Public Sector Unions (BOFEPUSU), is quickly becoming a serious factor in the parliamentary race.

After losing the January 25 by-election this year, UDC has been doing everything possible to gain ground as its candidate, retired educationist, Shathiso Tambula has been spending sleepless nights on the campaign trail.

Khama has visited the constituency on several occasions and every time he is greeted by pleas to create jobs and help bail out low-income Francistown West residents from poverty.

As for Francistown-East, the BDP top leadership has been fighting a losing battle to bring together the bitterly divided supporters of the party candidate Buti Billy and the former area MP Phandu Skelemani.

It’s public knowledge that for sometime now, Billy and Skelemani have not been seeing eye to eye. Their differences are evident even in their followers, which might have a drastic effect on the party fortunes.

In fact, even the opposition is capitalising on this stand off. The party leadership will have to move very fast to quell these political fires lest they live to regret.

Khama and his entourage might also be aware of the pledge that the public servants have reportedly made to the opposition candidates in Francistown-East constituency.

There is a high concentration of public servants in Francistown-East with majority of the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) camps in the area, Prisons and Botswana Police Services having their quarters in the area as well.

Majority of the nurses based at the Nyangabgwe Referral Hospital, teachers at the various primary schools and lecturers at the Francistown College of Technical and Vocational Education (FCTVE) and Francistown College of Education (FCE) have their quarters in the area.

Francistown City Council (FCC) employees whose majority is BOFEPUSU members are housed at the council facility commonly known as China Town.

The BDP represented by Skelemani won the constituency with a thin margin of 560 votes compared to the previously elections.

Skelemani had garnered 3,690 votes whilst his main challenger Morgan Moseki of the BCP got 3,130.

It’s the dwindling fortunes of the ruling party that will definitely haunt Khama and his leadership as previously, the BDP won the area with a complete whitewash.

Now, things have been changing against the BDP. Khama will later address a star rally in Francistown-South to support a political novice in Muzila, whom odds are honestly stacked against.

Just last week the BCP led by its president, Dumelang Saleshando were at the Chedu Choga freedom square on their campaign trail.

Francistown-South has become the cynosure of all eyes, as this is where there is real competition.

Until 2010 the BDP was the incumbent after winning the 2009 general elections through Wynter Mmolotsi who has since defected to the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD).

Mmolotsi, who was the darling of the constituents in the 2009 general elections, had garnered 4,024 votes whilst 3,546 people voted his main challenger, Vain Mamela of the Botswana Congress Party (BCP).

About 478 votes separated the winner and the loser, rendering the constituency very marginal.

The formation of the BMD, which is now in a coalition with the Botswana National Front (BNF) and Botswana Peoples Party (BPP) through the UDC arrangement, has changed the complexion of the political game.

When all these troubles connive against your party fortunes, this can be a serious source of worry to any party president.

“We have a challenge of reclaiming Francistown from the grip of the opposition. The president is known to be a very charming character, which is why the party believes that his visit will attract voters to go vote the BDP,” Francistown regional chairman Ford Moiteela said yesterday.   

Moiteela said they are encouraging hundreds to come to the event, as it will be the president’s last visit prior to the general elections. By Wednesday this week the BDP was already pitching tents in preparation for the hugely anticipated rally.

Moiteela stated that Khama will be accompanied by the BDP national elections campaign manager Alec Seametso and secretary general Mpho Balopi as well as other party big-wigs that will be lined up to speak at the rally.

The president will also visit Tonota on Sunday where his confidante Thapelo Olopeng is a parliamentary candidate. In Tonota, which is also in the hands of the UDC, Khama is also expected to address a star rally and engage in walk-abouts.