Molapise Recruits BDP Primary Election Losers
Lebogang Mosikare | Monday January 21, 2019 13:51
The BCP solidified its stance that it would not hand the constituency over to the BPP during a highly charged political rally in Monarch, two Sundays ago.
Party stalwart Vain Mamela and the BCP’s Francistown West chairperson Gilbert Makombo raised the ante in the battle for the constituency during the rally.
They publicly stated that the BCP would represent the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) in the constituency during the upcoming general elections.
The duo said that since the constituency was awarded to the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD), which has since been expelled from the UDC, the situation has now changed and the constituency belongs to the BCP by virtue of it having performed better than the BPP during the last general elections. Initially the BCP was supposed to represent the UDC in the constituency, but the UDC decided to give the constituency to the BPP after a gentleman’s agreement was reached to give the BPP more constituencies. Prior to that, the BPP had vehemently complained that the UDC had allocated it a few constituencies throughout the country and was not considered as an equal partner under the Umbrella.
The duo added that the agreement between the BCP and BMD has now collapsed after the latter was kicked out of the UDC towards the end of last year. Mamela and Makombo may have been taking cue from the president of the BCP Dumelang Saleshando.
During the BCP’s conference in Mmadinare in 2018, Saleshando said that the UDC was not a project whereby the weaker will just piggyback on other UDC partners just for the mere fact that the weaker is also a member of the UDC. He said then: “This cooperation is not about the weaker looking for an opportunity to get on the back of the stronger and declaring themselves as a new born giant. It is about the partner in the grouping using their strength to make sure that the UDC wins”. For starters, the battle for which party under the aegis of the UDC will represent the grouping during the elections did not start this year.
It started in 2018. But towards the end of last year and in the beginning of 2019, the president of the BPP Motlatsi Molapise started engaging in a recruitment drive to lure people who will represent the BPP at some ward in Francistown West.
Molapise’s recruitment exercise was mainly targeting people who lost during the recent Botswana Democratic Party’s (BDP) acrimonious primary elections in Francistown West. Godfrey Kaelo and Barulaganye Mooketsi confirmed that they were both approached by Molapise to represent the BPP as council candidates in Francistown West.
Kaelo said: “Molapise called me towards the end of last year about the proposal when I was at my field outside Francistown. I told him that I would think about his proposal, but I first have to consult constituents in my ward before deciding the way forward”.
Mooketsi said: “Molapise approached me with a view that I should represent the BPP at Botsalano ward. I, however, told him that I am a BDP member”.
Molapise is also said to have tried to recruit the current councillor for Botsalano ward, Zibanani Benefield.
However, Benefield confirmed that it was indeed true that Molapise contacted her, but she told him that she was in a meeting.
She said: “I don’t know why Molapise contacted me last year since he never called again”. Efforts to contact another BDP primary elections loser Isaac Keleagile were futile at the time of going to print since his mobile number was not available.
Contacted for comment, Molapise confirmed that he approached the BDP activists. “I contacted the people you are talking about to merely join the BPP and not stand as council candidates during the elections in October,” he said, adding that he met Saleshando and Duma Boko in Gaborone for talks about which party was allocated the constituency on Tuesday.
Asked to clarify if the BPP was allocated the Francistown West constituency since the BCP is also claiming it, Molapise said: “If you want to know better about which party was allocated the Francistown West constituency talk to Saleshando, Moeti Mohwasa or Boko. Those who are claiming ownership of the constituency are just a frustrated bunch”.
When contacted for comment, the spokesperson of the UDC Moeti Mohwasa confirmed that the Francistown West constituency belongs to the BPP.