Molao Jubilant, Daniel Sour

RYDER GABATHUSE
Staff Writer | Monday July 26, 2010 00:00

 

Molao garnered 778 votes, beating his closest competitor and newcomer to BDP politics, Onkabetse Daniel, who got 534.Third came retired deputy permanent secretary, Lewis Malikongwa, with 521 votes while former assistant minister, Olifant Mfa, came fourth with 379 votes.  Ipuseng Chikanda, Molao's brother-in-law, polled 355 whilst Molomo Ali Maano trailed with 308.

When Molao was declared the winner, the Chamabona Junior Secondary School hall burst into eardrum shattering ululations and whistling as jubilant supporters ignored the rule that prohibits open celebrations at party elections.

The winner Molao was immediately lifted sky-high as his supporters broke into jubilant song and dance.

Although only 2,875 people cast their votes, the counting process was longer than expected.

The results were announced in the wee hours of Sunday though the turnout was far below the estimated 8,000.

Said Molao in a post election interview: 'My victory reflects the amount of work that I have invested in the primaries.  I started campaigning a bit late in the primaries.  I only left my previous workplace on July 2 and relocated to the constituency immediately where I put up a brave fight.

'What we have emerged from is not really a fight as the real fight lies ahead with the opposition.  This is the real time now where I need the support of other BDP members so that the party can win this constituency,' he declared.

He categorically assured BDP diehards that reports associating him with the newly formed Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD) were devoid of the truth and misleading.

Daniel had difficulties accepting the results.

'I have noted that during counting there were a lot of errors because in some areas I was given the wrong figures.  For instance, in Sebina, I know that I was voted for by 145 people and instead I have noticed that I was allocated only 81 votes and this is wrong to say the least,' pointed out Daniel.

He said even at Mokubilo polling station he did very well, but during the counting process he was allocated the wrong votes. 'The BDP secretary general, Thato Kwerepe, has accepted these shortcomings and I expect this to be corrected so that the game can remain fair to all the contestants,' said Daniel, who claimed that he has been leading all along. 

He further claimed: 'There is no way in which Molao could have won this contest because I had done my assignment very well, but it seems I am only going to lose through flawed counting,' he protested.

Another loser, Chikanda, queried the voters' rolls, which he said were fiddled with.

'The voters' rolls were altered for sinister motives. I was shocked to notice that in the rolls that we were using during the primaries, names of a good number of my supporters were missing and there was no explanation at all,' he said.

Chikanda feared that some people could have manipulated the party records so that they could benefit unduly from the exercise. 'We were using new voters' rolls, which had many names missing from them.

The new voters' rolls were not a true reflection of the Bulela Ditswe registers,' noted Chikanda who indicated that he was contemplating taking a proper action in the interest of democracy and would communicate his position to the party.

Immediately after the results were announced the clean-shaven Malikongwa disappeared into the darkness outside the hall. Efforts to solicit comments from him hit a blank, as he could not take calls on his mobile phone.

For his part, Mfa indicated that for now, 'I am aware that some things did not go well during the primaries. I am still waiting to see what corrective measure the party will take and I will take it from there.' He however, emphasised that the weekend loss leaves him unshaken as a BDP member.