Mamela's sacrifice elevates Saleshando
Ryder Gabathuse | Friday March 6, 2020 16:50
FRANCISTOWN: Former UDC contracted partner Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD) made it impossible for Mamela to contest a constituency of his choice.
The veteran politician known for his no-nonsense attitude at freedom squares however, has no regret about what happened. To him, it’s simply water under the bridge, despite the apparent setback for his party.
That was after the Sidney Pilane-led BMD exchanged the Francistown West constituency for the Maun West one, which would be contested for by the BCP president, Dumelang Saleshando.
Saleshando, who is also the UDC vice president, at the time was without a constituency and a golden opportunity came when the BMD exchanged Maun West for Francistown West so that the disadvantaged Botswana Peoples Party (BPP), another contracted member of the UDC coalition, increased their allocated constituencies. The BPP was allocated only three out 57 constituencies as part of the UDC. The arrangement meant that Mamela who had started working in the constituency since 2016, became the ‘sacrificial lamb’ in 2018 after a decision was made that the BPP would instead contest the area.
Mbaakanyi Lenyatso of the BPP took over as the parliamentary candidacy where Mamela had left off. It was a frustrating moment for Mamela who had to part ways with some of the council candidates, who ultimately won their seats. At least two of them are seating councillors.
The ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) won the constituency.
Speaking about his sacrifice that elevated BCP president Saleshando to the position of the Leader of Opposition in Parliament after BCP president’s victory, the soft spoken yet radical Mamela says: “I have always been a freedom fighter for the BCP, despite that I missed a golden opportunity to contest.”
Despite the setback, Mamela went ahead and campaigned for the BCP across the constituencies in the north where he was almost full-time in the campaigns. He was all over: Ngamiland, Okavango, Central and everywhere.
“We had a smart campaign at the BCP as we ensured that there were campaign structures in place in all the areas,” Mamela says, noting how he personally ran around trying to help his comrades to have campaign structures as the party’s national organising secretary.
The plan paid dividends and became a winning strategy for the party.
Coupled with the element that former president Ian Khama had left the BDP in the Central District, it helped boost the BCP campaigns including in Palapye and Tswapong.
As for the win in Ngamiland, Okavango and Bobirwa the BCP veteran says it was simply the culmination of hard work to have unseated the BDP from its former strongholds.
Having served for three terms as the party’s national organising secretary, Mamela now eyes the office of the director of elections.
“Obviously, we are going to the party’s elective congress in July and I feel I have been loyal for the current position that I hold and I should give others a chance and try my luck elsewhere,” he says. With his experience of helping the party in the last elections, he adds that he will also fit well as the director of the elections.
What keeps Mamela so glued to opposition politics especially the BCP after losing the elections since 2009?
He is so quick to answer: “Politics to me is a calling and not a job opportunity as some think”. He has an urge to contribute to the development of democracy of the country.
He wants the BCP to remain a formidable organisation that will continue to challenge the status quo.
“My desire is not merely to campaign for the elections but to enrich democracy,” he emphasises.
Mamela was a legislator for Francistown West from 1994 to 1999. He easily reminisces about the Botswana National Front (BNF) team of legislators that he was part of which was led by the late Dr. Kenneth Koma at the time before 11 MPs defected to form the BCP in 1998 following a tumultuous meeting in Palapye.
He formed the BCP together with deceased comrades Paul Rantao, Maitshwarelo Dabutha, James Pilane, Joseph Kavindama and Sidwell Gabatshwane.
Other pioneering comrades include Gilson Saleshando, Michael Dingake, Mokgweetsi Kgosipula, Isaac Mabiletsa and Otlaadisa Koosaletse.
Whilst some pioneering BCP members retraced their steps to the BNF including Kgosipula and Koosaletse, others; Dingake, Saleshando and Mabiletsa have not been active in the BCP. This leaves Mamela, 58-year-old politician, as the last man standing.
“During our days as MPs, we were organised in the way issues were debated. We didn’t approach issues haphazardly as we all had our specific areas to debate,” he reminisces, insisting that the arrangement worked for them very well.
During budget and State of the Nation Address (SONA) they would come together and share areas that they debated on ultimately.
Mamela and his MP colleagues would invite experts from various fields to go and brief them so that they debated issues from an informed position and, “we had systematic debates because of our good planning”.
Quizzed about the current crop of politicians at the BCP, Mamela was quick to point out that: “If our portfolio of political education were functioning well, this would be a forum to educate our people so that they understand what politics is all about”.
“But, unfortunately,” says the veteran politician, “ some of our politicians don’t value such forums-seminars, workshops and study groups. They depend mostly on Facebook and the general social media which seems to be their university.” He remembers the dark days after 1999 general election where almost all the BCP stalwarts lost their bid for re-election with the exception of Kavindama.
“The BCP was humiliated and that was a tough period and there was a challenge for the party to work very hard to make a come back. It was tough but we had to soldier on to build this party,” he says. Regarding the recent victories by Bobirwa legislator Taolo Lucas and his Sefhare-Ramokgonami colleague, Dr Kesitegile Gobotswang, Mamela says their ultimate victories reflect that there is no easy walk to freedom.
Mamela takes it that the current crop of BCP legislators and party leadership are at an advantage of some sort.
He says majority of the MPs for instance, are academically okay and are not like the 1999 BCP contingent. “They have come at a time when gathering of information has been simplified by the advent of Internet. Parliament has infrastructure in terms of offices and research offers, unlike during our era.” He is convinced that if the legislators in particular can utilise the available resources, they can achieve more and more.
By far, he is satisfied with the BCP legislators that they are delivering to the expectations of the masses. To him, politics is not like formal employment where one retires to a massive package commensurate with the position held. “It’s even tough considering that local politics is very hostile especially to the opposition cadres. The ruling elite will at worse try to block opposition operatives from accessing business opportunities ranging from tenders and others,” bemoaned Mamela.
Faced with such a hostile environment, Mamela has accepted his fate and is surviving from what he calls “crumbs”.
Mamela still harbours interests to contest for a parliamentary seat “anywhere” in Francistown.
His hope is buoyed by a possibility of a delimitation exercise next year that could see the Francistown constituencies increased to four or so.
But, even without an increase of the constituencies, Mamela is plotting his comeback to Parliament come 2024.
“Francistown is stagnant and worse, the economy of the city that depended heavily on mining activities has collapsed. The closure of the Francistown abattoir of the Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) has worsened the situation,” he declares despairingly.
His take is that Francistown MPs should have advocated for something like SPEDU, which is a rescue strategy for the now collapsed mining town of Selebi-Phikwe and its environs.
He dismisses the special economic zone earmarked for Francistown and other areas as a mere political gimmick and vote-buying ploy that will never see light of the day.
BCP operatives are often accused of politics of mudslinging and character assassination, but Mamela holds a differing view. As a politician, he insists one has to agitate people and force them to react to issues.
“This is the type of politics that we learnt ourselves from veterans like the late Koma and others through the BNF study groups,” asserts Mamela.
He particularly appreciates this form of politics to have helped the BCP to grow. But, “now that I have aged, I no longer attack people personally, but I dwell on issues.”
Sometimes, Mamela claims, “you can find yourself immersed in the spirit of politics and speak things from the ‘political heavens’.”