Mayoral race, a test to UDC partners
Ryder Gabathuse | Wednesday March 8, 2017 16:08
The UDC is a four party opposition coalition project between the Botswana Congress Party (BCP), Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD), Botswana National Front (BNF) and Botswana Peoples Party (BPP).
Last week, BMD vocal civic leader for Tlogatloga ward Rhoda Sekgororoane openly declared her interest to challenge the incumbent city Mayor Kagiso Thutlwe whose term of office comes to an end at the end of April.
Whilst the UDC as a coalition of partners has a caucus arrangement where they discuss pertinent issues including declaring interest to contest for political office, Sekgororoane ignored that and declared in a newspaper interview that she was pursuing her interest.
“I am determined that this time around I am going to stand. I have lobbied for support from all UDC members including even the BCP. Women should be given a chance to lead also. Men cannot be the ones leading us in all positions. They are the chairpersons of all committees except one,” complained Sekgororoane, formerly BNF activist.
On the other hand, Thutlwe could not hide his plan of seeking another term and that he has been lobbying for support from the councillors.
“I was not aware that my term comes to an end in April. I had thought it’s in March. Just learnt on Wednesday. I have lobbied for support from our party members and I believe I will retain it,” Thutlwe said last week in an interview.
It’s apparent that Sekgororoane is possibly banking her support on her BMD colleagues and others whilst Thutlwe could he resting his hopes on the strength of BNF colleagues.
The two politicians’ body languages at best can only encourage divisions within partners that are already shaken by the recent sharing of constituencies.
The BPP is already crying foul that its UDC partners are taking them for granted by allocating them four instead of eight constituencies to contest in the 2019 general elections. The prayers of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) councillors who are in the minority in the city council are possibly to see the UDC marriage going asunder. BDP has nine councillors out of the total GCC 36 civic leaders.
The BNF and BMD, who are in the majority with a total of 22 councillors, are seemingly divided after both Sekgororoane and Thutlwe declared their readiness to contest for the Mayoral seat. BCP, which is the latest UDC entrant, has five councillors in the GCC, whose allegiance between BNF and BMD is only a subject of speculation.
Oblivious of the dangers of her approach, Sekgororoane feels when Thutlwe’s time ends, it is her turn to lead the GCC political wing.
She said in 2014 when the current mayor ascended to the seat, protocol was not followed, “because as the treasurer from my party, I was the most eligible to take the position.” Disagreements on who is eligible to be a Mayor are not a new development because even then, Sekgororoane says MPs Haskins Nkayigwa and Abram Kesupile had to intervene but without help.
“If we want the UDC to be a true unity, then BCP and BMD should take the mayorship as their turn when the current Mayor’s tenure of office comes to an end,” declares Sekgororoane.
She is adamant that on a serious note, the Gaborone mayor issue should be handed over to the UDC caucus because it is showing that individual parties are bent on protecting their interests than of the UDC.
Sekgororoane is adamant that she should be given a chance, as she knows she can make a difference given her leadership prowess.
“There is no doubt that I can do better than the incumbent,” she says pleading to be tested just like her male colleagues have been.
Thutlwe describes Sekgororoane as a person who does not respect peace. “She is a meddler although she might claim that she is practising her democratic right. She should instead rise and be a defender of democracy.”
Thutlwe has informed his comrades that they went into the 2014 general elections as a unit therefore any agreement should be about them as a unit.
He has recently spoken to the secretary-generals of the four parties in the UDC about a need to have continuity in the four councils controlled by the UDC.
“If there will be any change, then we should look at the benefit of any change for the broader UDC group,” he says, wondering what then distinguishes the UDC from the ruling BDP if they could start fighting for positions. UDC spokesperson, Moeti Mohwasa says mayoral issue is an internal matter that the party in control of the GCC should handle with extra caution.
“Any party that has to be taken seriously has to respect internal processes,” declares Mohwasa, advising that the UDC partners have a caucus where people can be able to express their interests for the position of Mayor.
University of Botswana (UB) political science lecturer, Leonard Sesa wonders if people really understand the type of political marriage the parties have entered into.
“It’s a question of political maturity. I think one politician here is strongly feeling that he/she is a veteran therefore demands a certain level of respect and is not getting it for some reasons,” he says, adding that he does not think it is the right thing for the politicians to be attacking each other when they are partners.
At best, Sesa advises the parties in the UDC or those at loggerheads over the Mayoral seat to respect the terms of their political marriage and go back to the drawing board.
Otherwise, if things are not managed properly, Sesa fears, a lot of these negative developments are going to keep on cropping up, tarnishing the good image of the UDC in the process.