Gabathuse, relishes the task ahead
Lindiwe Mozola | Friday February 24, 2017 17:32
Area Gabathuse, the newly-elected Councillor for Boikago/Madiba, has a mammoth task ahead of him following his victory over Thabo Dimeku of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) during the by-election held last month.
Gabathuse defied the odds and wrestled the ward from the ruling party, which had occupied it since independence. To some it came as a shock when the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) attained it and changed the status quo.
Therefore all eyes and pressure are on Gabathuse to see what he has in store for the ward and how he is going to fill the big shoes left by the ruling party.
After repeated attempts to secure a one-on-one interaction with Gabathuse, he finally settled for a 10-minutes telephone interview citing a tight schedule. This is evidence that he cannot afford to rest on his laurels. Apparently, BCP is adamant that this is the new beginning for bigger things, come 2019 when they will claim the constituency.
The 53-year-old is not new to politics. His first attempt was during the 2009 general elections when he contested under the Botswana National Front (BNF) for Maruapula and lost. “But I never lost hope and I continued being active in BNF politics, which groomed me into politics at a young age and continued to be my political home up until 2011 when I moved back home to Palapye. However, back home BNF did not have a strong presence and I ended up joining BCP as my interests had always been with the opposition parties,” he said.
In 2014, Gabathuse contested for Boikago/Madiba ward and lost to the late Richie Kenosi of the BDP by 596 to 712. This, according to him was a slight margin which gave him hope, earning him trust and support from the BCP, who took a decision to let him stand without primaries for the by-election.
His perseverance led to victory against the ruling party’s Dimeku with 606 to 503, an impressive gap of 103. The married father of two and businessman said that his task is not going to be easy because Boikago/Madiba is lagging behind in developments. “This is one of the oldest wards in Palapye, but the Government has abandoned it. It is one of the wards that have been hard hit by poverty with high rate of unemployment and crime. It is not going to be easy to deal with all these, but I will try my utmost best. It is also not a secret that BDP failed the ward. However, it is assuring that Batswana are warming up to the opposition,” he said. He said he is going to work closely with the youth by assisting them with Government programmes.
He further stated that unemployment is one of the issues close to his heart hence he will tackle it head on to change the standard of leaving in his area.
Gabathuse added that working closely with the youth in his area would be another way of addressing high crime incidents, which he attributed to Government failing the youth who then resorted to crime for sustenance. “This ward is known for its other name ‘Masharia’ due to crime. Many people are afraid to come here, which also drives away the investors who can uplift its standard. But it is my wish and prayer that I work closely with the youth to create an environment free of crime and restore the once loved ward to where it was before the Government decided to abandon it,” Gabathuse said.Every Tuesday, he meets with the youth to discuss ways to empower themselves and also does the same with the elders on Wednesdays.
He assured that he is going to leave a mark and seek support from members of the community as well as the leaders of the village.
“I am just a servant ready to serve my people and I promise to deliver where I can. I will make sure that Boikago/Madiba ward is recognised once again,” Gabathuse said.