How Mmolotsi beat the odds
Ryder Gabathuse | Friday February 26, 2021 16:00
FRANCISTOWN: What streak really has been holding things together for the 47-year-old Mmolotsi, when things were not so rosy for the BMD splinter party, AP?
This is a pertinent question posed by many considering that Mmolotsi emerged the only political survivor amongst the 17 MPs who had sought re-election at the 2019 general election.
From amongst his party (AP) members, the Francistown South MP was the only one amongst five MPs who got a nod from the electorate in 2019. Against all the odds, Mmolotsi made it to the August House.
This week Mmegi looks at the secret behind Mmolotsi’s string of successes when his party colleagues could not make it, especially in a constituency that was considered the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) stronghold.
“Working well with the people and treating them equally,” is the magic that continues to keep the legislator glued to his constituents.
The outspoken Mmolotsi emphasises honesty as his greatest forte and describes himself as a true servant of the people.
“I am not troublesome. I don’t disappoint the hoi-polloi as I work with them diligently,” Mmolotsi explains, indicating that anyone who wants to call him is easily allowed to reach him.
His constituents, he says, have his contacts and he treats them as part of his wider family in the bigger constituency estimated to be having about 33, 133 people.
He actually discusses issues of the constituency easily with the people, which leaves him knowledgeable of the desires of his constituents. In his view, he provides service to the people.
There are a number of things that the constituents appreciate about their MP, including the burial scheme that has left people equal in terms of burying their loved ones. The MP has brought all the classes of people found in his area together to appreciate each other.
Francistown South constituency, like many is a mixed bag of low, middle and high income classes.
He is happy that his constituents cannot be easily deceived as they understand dynamics of the constituency. He is also adamant that his constituents any day cannot be easily swayed to betray him.
He cited an incident at a time when he contested against the ruling BDP’s Sylvia Muzila for the Parliamentary seat some time back when legislator Ignatius Moswaane informed him that, “people across the streets were consistent that they were content with Mmolotsi as a legislator.”
Muzila, formerly city mayor, would later abandon her wish to challenge Mmolotsi.
The MP is elated that he has a direct relationship with the people and adds that he is also selfless.
Mmolotsi is also credited for assisting the people with everything that he has. Some of his supporters vouched that he was always willing to give away his last mealie-meal bag to your needy family in the area.
As for Ipelegeng workers, he has been consistently supplying them with gloves during winter so that they can be able to do their work unhindered.
He also provides sun hats during summer to cushion the effects of heat as Ipelegeng workers go about their daily chores.
“You may think what I do as a politician is a small feat, but to the people it counts a lot and they consider one to be humane and considerate,” he tells Mmegi, adding that if he had enough he will provide these people with more.
He has no intention of only remembering the people when he needs their votes, but rather, he wants to prove to the people that they are very important all the time.
He has seen some parents passing the hats and berets that he had bought for them; to their children something that he says was indicative of people who appreciated a lot. He has held workshops in which he has invited agencies like Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency (CEDA) and Local Entreprise Authority (LEA) to empower the young people and other needy members of the community. He has also assisted many talented youth in the constituency to realise their potential.
He has also been into football assisting enthusiastic young footballers in the streets of the Francistown South constituency through sponsoring tournaments and others.
Mmolotsi has been engaged in a lot of charity work within his constituency which has not been published.
“In my constituency, no elderly person has received less than two blankets from me.
I have also assisted many families with potable water and in some cases my team has dismantled pit latrines and constructed water-borne systems,” said the MP. He has also built houses for some underprivileged members of the community.
As a lone AP legislator, how has Mmolotsi been coping?
He caucuses at three levels to ensure that he delivers on the promises of the masses: First he is guided by the AP manifesto as it provides the requisite guidance and directs on the party policies. Secondly, he consults the leadership of the AP. Mmolotsi also caucuses with other opposition parties in parliament.
“Numerically, yes I appear like a loner, but I am not a loner at all,” claims the AP lone legislator. He adds that some of the decisions that he comes up with are simply the culmination of a three-layered consultation.
There are instances when the maverick politician abstains from the caucus or remains on course when other opposition MPs walk out of Parliament or take a totally different position on an issue.
At 47 years, Mmolotsi claims that he has the energy of a 20-year-old when it comes to serving the people who have been voting him without a hitch.
After quitting his job at Macmillan Publishers, Mmolotsi considers himself a career politician now and will do everything possible to remain the favourite of the people.
He concurs that with his fortunes in the hands of the people, it was possible that any election year the masses could decide otherwise.
That he knows and he is ready for any eventuality. On the other hand, he says he has been raising the bar every year to remain the best politician in the constituency.
He is convinced that elders in the constituency are very happy that they have a leader that they can easily access and talk to.
He says if the constituents have any concerns, they are yet to raise such, but, normally he doesn’t wait until people knock at his office door bearing concerns.
“Of course from other parties, there could be issues, but we work together to deliver to the masses,” says Mmolotsi acknowledging that his guiding principle in everything that he does is God.