Hobona returns to active politics
Chakalisa Dube | Wednesday November 15, 2017 19:13
Until recently, another former legislator Vain Mamela was tipped to represent the Botswana Congress Party (BCP), an affiliate of Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) at the 2019 general elections in the Francistown West constituency.
However, there are now strong indications that Hobona, who made history by becoming the first opposition woman Member of Parliament (MP) in November 2013, has hit a u-turn on her desire to quit active politics.
Hobona is now said to be actively contemplating challenging Mamela at the BCP primaries billed for next year. The former MP is said to have recently disclosed her desire to contest the BCP primaries to her party confidantes. Hobona has also reportedly started veiled mobilisation strategies as she readies herself to tackle Mamela.
“I am very open to the idea of contesting primaries. I have however not made up my mind as to whether I should contest the primaries or not. I will take a decision in due course. At the moment my focus is on helping the BCP to grow,” Hobona said when quizzed on reports that she intends to challenge Mamela.
“At the moment, every campaign activity I do, I do it to directly benefit the BCP not myself,” she added in her response. Despite being the first opposition woman in Parliament, Hobona spent the shortest time ever inside the august house after winning a by-election.
After she was sworn in November 2013, Hobona was voted out in October 2014 at the general elections.
Mamela has also denied that he intends to contest the Francistown West constituency saying that he will declare his intensions at the right time. He has however held several rallies in Francistown West in what many BCP followers say is also a veiled campaign for the party primaries.
Professor Lazarus Tlou and Baathodi Monyantsi have also in the past been linked with candidacy of the BCP primaries. Both men lost to Hobona at the BCP primaries ahead of the 2014 general elections.