Team Masisi In An Emphatic, Whitewash Victory
Ryder Gabathuse | Monday July 10, 2017 18:00
Team Masisi swept the stakes scoring highly in all the contested positions including additional members, leaving the rival lobby group of Molefhi literally empty-handed. The electoral college stood at about 1,078.
Masisi led by example in the most coveted position for the party chairpersonship where it was initially believed there will be stiff competition basing on the reports from the party regions. Masisi clobbered his rival by garnering an emphatic 769 votes to Molefhi’s 261 votes- a margin of 508 votes.
Team Molefhi would suffer another embarrassing defeat when their candidate for one of the most powerful positions in the party’s governing structure, the secretary general, as Jacob Nkate trailed in a three-way thriller. Nkate attracted only 118 votes whilst ‘non-aligned’ candidate Botsalo Ntuane who enjoyed incumbency got 234 votes. Although Mpho Balopi was a doubtful starter he made his doubters eat humble pie by stamping his authority via 662 votes.
Satar Dada who has been the party’s treasurer since 1991 brushed aside Tebelelo Seretse’s challenge by whipping former Botswana envoy to the United States with 729 votes to Seretse’s 219.
The winning streak of the pro-Masisi axis continued unabated as Minister Shaw Kgathi was returned to the position of deputy secretary general via 644 votes whilst his challengers, assistant Minister Biggie Butale and Andy Boatile trailed via 141 and 142 votes respectively.
As for the deputy treasurer, it was another victory for the Masisi team as one of the team’s valuable benefactors Jagdish Shah retained his position by garnering 630 votes whilst Alfred Mbayi got the crumbs via 222 votes after Molebatsi Molebatsi from team Molefhi chickened out.
The winning trend for the Masisi camp ensured that all their additional members made it denying the Molefhi team even a consolation prize. Samson Moyo Guma, Ngaka Ngaka, Machana Shamukuni, Ponatshego Tshiping and Slumber Tsogwane completed the additional members’ bracket.
Team Molefhi had tried their luck for the additional members through Ignatius Moswaane, Phillip Makgalemele, councillor Kaisara, Moemedi Dijeng, Tshenolo Leshomo and Fidelis Molao. Whilst the last trio were either rejected or absent, the rest of the team members couldn’t make it at all.
In a shocking development, five members nominated by President Ian Khama were announced, and in exception of Ntuane who was a non-aligned candidate in the central committee race, the rest are from the pro-Masisi team. Others include Goitse Phori, Tshekedi Khama, Jeremiah Brooks and Carter Masire.
Although both Masisi and his principal ,Khama spoke peace and reconciliation pre and post the elective congress, their body languages betrayed them as they could not give the losers a consolation prize by including them into the President’s list of nominees.
Unless they include some of the members of the losing team into the party’s sub committees of the central committee, it could have backlash as the losers could be forced to fight for inclusion into the party structures.
In a way, for the BDP to be controlled diametrically by one faction the party could lose big time as the other faction could simply become spectators and watch the match.
Post the elections, Masisi oozed confidence that the BDP will leave Tonota a united lot. “It’s democracy that has won and not any individual or interest group. Put aside your lobby groups’ differences and concentrate on serving the party,” Masisi said to a thunderous applause from the hall.
Equally, Molefhi representing the losing team accepted his team’s loss and stressed that there is life after congress defeat in the BDP.
“Challenging the Vice President for the party chairpersonship should never be misconstrued to mean that I defied President Khama as some of you think. I was simply exercising my democratic right as an individual. So did the team that supported me,” Molefhi said.