Gopolang joins mayoral race
Chakalisa Dube | Wednesday April 26, 2017 15:36
Up for another go at the mayoral challenge is Kanana ward councillor, Cornelius Gopolang.
He has also thrown his name in the ring following his maiden attempt at the mayoral election where he suffered defeat at the hands of the incumbent, Sylvia Muzila at a Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) caucus.
At the time, Muzila was endorsed by eight ruling party councillors while Gopolong could only manage six votes. Lesego Kwambala came in third after attracting four votes following the 2014 general elections.
At the time of his loss, Gopolang accused some BDP councillors of betrayal. Since then, he has often made it clear that he will not give up on his dream to become the second city’s Mayor.
“I have already started lobbying other councillors to back my mayoral bid. An impressive number of fellow party councillors have shown desire to back me for the Mayoral position, but for now I do not want to reveal more because I have just started campaigning,” Gopolang said this week.
Why such persistence on the part of Gopolang, to fulfil his dream of Mayor?
He said: “The problem we face as the city council is that of implementation. We have Vision 2022, which was launched five years ago, but is yet to take off”.
“Should I be elected Mayor, my aim will be to motivate the administrative wing and build a strong partnership with councillors to drive the vision and implement council projects.
Motivating the two parties emanates from understating their psychology and philosophy. I believe at the moment they lack the right kind of motivation,” he said.
Gopolang said that his reasons for challenging for the mayoral elections does not meant that he is faulting the current regime.
“I only believe that there is need to change the leadership style in order for the council to achieve the desired results.”
The one chosen as Mayor is expected to be endorsed at a BDP caucus sometime next week. The BDP enjoys majority at the council chambers and decisions of the caucus as to who becomes the Mayor are binding.
Open elections with the opposition who also select their preferred mayoral candidate are just a mere formality because the latter does not enjoy the majority.
Just last month, former Francistown Mayor, Peter Ngoma made it known that he will contest for the mayoral position.
At the time, the confident Ngoma said that Francistown has not developed to a desired level since he left the position of Mayor more than a decade ago.
On the other hand, Muzila has also indicated that she will seek another term. Her term will come to an end some time next month paving way for fresh elections.
She recently declared that she still has unfinished business with reference to transforming the economy of Francistown.
The former district commissioner said that in her first term, she has done enough spade work that would enable Francistown to reach prosperity.
In her opinion, a second term would make sure that her dream to turn Francistown into an economic powerhouse in the northern part of the country comes to fruition. It is still unclear as to who (within the BDP) will challenge Godisang Radisigo for the position of deputy Mayor. Radisigo was elected unopposed as deputy Mayor early this year following the ousting of the then controversy-ridden deputy, Lechedzani Modenga.
It has been speculated that Itekeng ward councillor, Kwambala will challenge him, but the latter has denied such talks.
At the deputy mayoral elections to replace Modenga, Kwambala refused nomination to challenge Radisigo in fear of defying a party caucus resolution, which had settled for the latter to replace Modenga.