IEC blocks Dabutha from using purple
Innocent Selatlhwa | Tuesday September 26, 2017 16:09
Dabutha lamented that after she was forced to abandon her first choice colour because of complaints by her former party, the IEC now wants her to dump the colour purple.
“At first they told me the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) president, Dumelang Saleshando had complained that I was using their party colour. Even though my green was different from that of the BCP. They told me to stick to the black and white in my symbol,” she said. Despite BCP complaining about Dabutha’s use of the green colour, Steven Sorinyana who quit the BCP to stand as an independent in Ramotswa in 2014 used the colour identical to the one Dabutha was using.
Dabutha said she was shocked when she got a call from the IEC yesterday telling her to lose the purple colour or she will not be part of the Botswana Television (Btv) advert. “In the BCP case, they stated the complainant was Saleshando, but with this one, they just told me that some people will complain and if I continue with the colour purple, they will not use my pictures in the Btv advert. This left me wondering whether this was a genuine concern, or whether they want to intimidate and frustrate me. This is not good as I endure costs and it also confuses voters as they have to keep up with a new colour weekly,” she said.
Contacted for comment, IEC spokesperson, Osupile Maroba said Dabutha should stick to the colours approved for her. “The law is clear that one has to use only the colour approved by the IEC. Her colours are black and white and that will stand until she changes after elections. If we allow her to use any other colour, it could confuse voters and that is what we are trying to avoid,” he said. Maroba confirm
ed that they would not allow Dabutha’s poster, to be advertised on Btv, to have any other colour than what they have approved.
Still on her candidacy, Dabutha alleged that the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) chose Modala Modala undemocratically. “This issue of incumbency or second best is not always fair. The UDC failed to bring us together and observe what is going on, on the ground. I have recruited over 800 people to the BCP and that should have been considered. If the UDC does not act on this, there are going to be problems in many areas as the system is not fair and leaves out capable people just because their party did not perform that good in 2014,” she said.
Dabutha faces Modala of the UDC and Katholo Tapologo of the Botswana Democratic Party on the by-election billed for October 7. The vacancy came after Leposo Mosarwe passed away in July.