Fidelis Molao: the face of the BDP in Tonota North

EDWARD BULE
Correspondent | Friday August 13, 2010 00:00

 

A teacher, manager and politician, Molao was born 33 years ago in Mathangwane. The fifth child in the family, Molao went to Mathangwane Primary School before transferring to Mpatane Primary School in Mathangwane in his sixth year to complete his primary education. He did his forms one and three at Chamabona Community Junior Secondary School, also in Mathangwane, before progressing to Mater Spei College, Francistown, where he completed in 2005.

After completing his secondary education, Molao went to Boteti for his Tirelo Sechaba (TS) as a social worker.Beckoned by the glamour and status of being a university student and the need to equip himself with a life skill, he enrolled at the University of Botswana (UB) where he did his BA Humanities majoring in History and English. Armed with a university degree, he was posted to Moeti Community Junior Secondary School to teach English, before moving to Moeding College as an history teacher.

After teaching for six months between Moeti CJSS and Moeding College, Molao crossed over to the corporate world when he joined Sefalana Cash and Carry as a management trainee based in Mahalapye.

After impressing his bosses, he was promoted to the post of Assistant Manager in Palapye. He was subsequently transferred to Francistown where he shouldered a bigger responsibility on account of the fact that business was bigger in his new station.

In early 2003, he was asked to open Metro Tonota, which he didsuccessfully. His days as business manager came to an end when, in the same year, he was recruited to serve as deputy executive secretary at the BDP head office in Gaborone. But Molao's political career started when he was at UB where he was publicity secretary for the GS 26, a BDP branch at the university. He boastfully reveals that he was in the BDP campaign team when Margaret Nasha trounced the then Botswana Congress Party (BCP) president, Michael Dingake for Gaborone Central in the 1999 general election. 'We put aside our studies for a while to campaign for the BDP,' he says matter-of-factly.

He further reveals that it was their collective effort that made it possible for the UB Student Representative Council (SRC) to fall into the hands of the BDP for the first time after many years of BNF control. The university as a whole had been the domain of the BNF for many years. Introducing and even entrenching the BDP on campus was a challenging job, mainly because BDP politics of the right was not of much interest to university students.

Before his appointment to the BDP head office, Molao had intended to stand for the elections at Mathangwane as a council candidate for the 2004 general election. In fact, he was appointed in the middle of his preparations for the primary election for the ward. He withdrew from the race.

Molao left the BDP office in 2009 and became the campaign manager for Baledzi Gaolathe, the man in whose shoes he seeks to fit. Molao has served on various BDP committees where he acquitted himself well. These include the chairmanship of the Northern Region, which consists of Tonota North, Nkange, Nata/Gweta and Tati West. He once served as secretary to the BDP Council of Elders, secretary for the BDP Disciplinary Committee and secretary of the BDP Electoral Board.

Molao has worked for the Botswana National Sports Council (BNSC) as marketing and communications officer before joining the Botswana National Youth Council (BNYC) as executive director, which he in turn left to contest the BDP primaries in Tonota North.

Like a typical politician, when asked why he left a secure job to contest an election, he says that he is confident of victory. He also stresses the fact that his life is a life of sacrifices. He adds that he does not dream of becoming rich. Molao says that what he finds fulfilling is his service to the people.

He is fully aware that he could have made more money elsewhere but because of the passion he has for politics, he is prepared to forego all the lucrative options. Molao points out that he had planned to leave his job before the primary elections for the 2014 general elections in order to contest for the elections but had to leave earlier because of the impending by-election.

Taking a swipe at those who join politics upon retiring at an advanced age, Molao says that he wants to serve the people while he is still young and full of ideas. 'Politics is not a retirement home.' The BDP politician says that he would prefer to retire to the cattle post and not into politics. It does not make sense to him when people enter politics when they have long expended their mental faculties due to old age. He is impressed by the trend set by America and Britain where the heads of state are in their 40s and 'young enough to take the stress of politics'.

Molao agrees with the opposition parties that Tonota North is underdeveloped. His priority areas are youth empowerment and infrastructure development. The BDP parliamentary aspirant says that one of the reasons why the youth remain disempowered is lack of information regarding what is available for them.

He says that if elected, he will ensure that community centres are built in the constituency where the youth would not only find information on government schemes but would also be assisted with how to construct business plans.

His development agenda includes advocating for the construction of roads in Tonota North as that is the only way to attract investment to the constituency and improve job opportunities for his voters. Molao is concerned about the high crime wave and will press for the construction of a police station in the constituency. Currently, Tonota North is served by the Tatitown Police Station in Francistown.

The BDP candidate is confident of a win despite a united opposition front in the constituency. Molao believes that the primary election losers were genuine when they pledged at a rally to support him. Asked why he tends to be associated with the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD) he says that he and some of the people who formed BMD are great friends.

The Township Rollers, Mochudi Centre Chiefs, Manchester United and Zebras fan believes in clean politics. He avers that only desperate politicians have time to haul insults at others.

Can Molao use the magic he used to help Nasha and Gaolathe win the elections to clinch Tonota North?