Tenacious Mamela soldiers on

| Friday August 12, 2011 00:00

 

FRANCISTOWN: 'With me politics is a calling, it's my church and we shall remain inseparable,' declares former Francistown West Member of Parliament (MP), Vain Mamela.

Despite that since 2009, it has not been possible for him to amass sufficient votes during general elections to ensure his return to Parliament, Mamela is surely destined to fight on until he is possibly voted in.

His philosophy is simply that 'whether I am voted to political office or not, I have a challenge of battling against the ills bedevilling the society that I represent.'

Mamela is quick to state that before becoming an MP, 'I was employed by Barclays Bank of Botswana and today I am self-employed as a businessman involved in a number of activities to put bread on the table.'

His position is firmly that he is not into politics for the sake of amassing wealth but to ensure that there is change in conditions that can help Batswana enjoy all the possible freedoms as enshrined in the Botswana Constitution, as a social democrat.

'Because of my conviction and fight against the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) injustices and misrule, I feel a strong urge to usher in a system of social justice,' says Mamela who turns 50 years in December.

He says there are massive expenses that accompany campaigns especially for the general elections as an opposition activist 'but if you have a conviction and commitment, you really have to fight on. That is why it's uncommon for a politician to become very rich unless he/she is involved in corrupt practices.'

He declares worriedly that under the BDP rule workers' rights, civil liberties, equal access to services and participatory democracy still remains a challenge. Mamela says currently the BDP does mot show any respect for human and minority rights.

'One of my aims is to vigorously participate in the fight against injustices perpetrated by the ruling BDP.'

Mamela is steadfast that his joining politics has nothing to do with gaining any social status or enriching himself.'Those who are pushing the agenda of gaining from politics, will simply chicken out when the going gets tough,' he observes.

In 1989, Mamela contested for a council seat in Tati West and lost, he was only 26-years-old then and was a Botswana National Front (BNF) council candidate.

'You really have to persevere and I can tell you that it requires conviction and commitment to remain afloat in politics,' Mamela says adding, 'Politics is not for the faint hearted.'

He grew up opposed to the way BDP continues to rule the country and hence he has a conviction that there has to be change.

'Our democracy is in decline under the BDP. From our independence from the British, we were regarded as the shining example of democracy. Now, we have been overtaken by the emerging democracies that were supposed to be copying from us and now the reverse is true.'

Mamela is worried that under the BDP, the roles of the three arms of government (Executive, Legislature and Judiciary) remain ambiguous as in the case of Botswana; the Executive wants to dominate others.

'It's time a portfolio committee is set to make ministries account and ensure business of Parliament is expedited as issues would be thrashed out at committee level, for example the crisis at the Ministry of Education and Skills Development would have not dragged for too long,' he says.

He observes that it is only the Public Accounts Committee, which is currently very active and often calls for individuals and ministries to account.

'Under the BDP it's apparent that the system of government is too centralised with the local government battling to enjoy self-rule. Economic diversification is also proving difficult to be attained.'

During his tenure as Francistown West MP (1994-1999) Mamela says that amongst others, he was able to fight for the improvement of Somerset West squatter settlement, which resulted in squatters being relocated to Gerald Estates.

'I fought so hard that people should be given land at the Gerald Estates and build decent homes as the uncaring BDP government was seemingly content with squatters as if they were leading a normal life.'

At the Phase Four development area, which is commonly known as Blocks, Mamela says it was dusty all over the place and he advocated the tarring of the roads in the area to ensure that life was improved for the residents.

'All the primary schools in the Phase Four development area did not have teachers' quarters, electricity and other necessities of life but I and the then MP for Francistown East Patrick Balopi of the BDP fought for these things.'

Mamela says despite the size of the area (Blocks), there was no community hall, no customary court and 'I had to follow the relevant officers to ensure that these things were in place'.

Mamela's greatest passion, he says is to deal with the communities and 'ensure that people get the relevant services at the right time.'

He says his social background is that of someone who grew up from a poor family and battled so hard to reach the status he has attained today and 'I know what being poor means. My upbringing was one of a struggle and that is why I am in the struggle to foster change as an opposition politician.'

What will happen to Mamela if the opposition unity results in a different candidate favoured for Francistown South constituency, the area in which he (Mamela) tried his luck twice in 2004 and 2009 without success? He tried his luck once in 1999 in the Francistown West constituency.

'I am ready to accept that as the whole unity project is not all about me. But, I feel it's premature to talk about my contesting in the area or not because that is a project that involves other parties.'

On opposition cooperation, Mamela says his party has taken a position on unity of the opposition parties, which he supports without reservations 'as to whatever is agreed will be in the best interest of all the parties involved'.

Mamela is listed among BCP politicians who are known to be rabble-rousers and have often been accused of using 'unpalatable language' at freedom squares. Alongside Mamela are former BCP president and MP Gilson Saleshando, former Selebi-Phikwe mayor and now civil servant, Nzwaligwa Nzwaligwa and others who are accused of uttering just about anything.

He claims that he is always careful of what he says when addressing the masses at political rallies.

'I am not a careless type, but it depends on what in particular I will be responding to. But at times it would not be okay to those who initiated the verbal attack when we hit back.'

As if he accepts responsibility, Mamela indicates, 'these days I have matured politically and as you grow up, you obviously become tolerant with a tendency of toning down your language.'

He says there are instances when people simply get shocked by the content of one's speech adding, 'I have always addressed bread and butter issues and I take it that a lot of people understand me better.'

In his view, it's only a question of approach by different politicians that differ but the message is the same. He insists that he is comfortable with the content of his addresses although it had often rubbed some people the wrong way with accusations that Mamela thrived on politics of mudslinging and character assassination.

He says public speaking is an art on its own and it has to have its ingredients and as such a politician has to understand his/her audience and move them, if one can manage it.

As the BCP national organising secretary, Mamela is charged with the responsibility of mass mobilisation of the party structures.

The whole party mobilising machinery is under his combination and the platform offers him an opportunity to articulate social issues in general and party issues in particular.

Mamela dismisses any chance of the BDP winning the 2014 general elections if the opposition could seal the unity deal in time and campaign vigorously.

'There are a lot of problems that are apparently far beyond the capability of the BDP. The party no longer appeals to anyone as people have seemingly decided that BDP's time is over,' says Mamela doubting that the BDP really has capacity to reform.

As a founding member of the BCP, Mamela considers the party a viable project 13 years after its formation following a major split of the BNF in Palapye in 1998.

Other founding MPs who had defected from the BNF include the late Paul Rantao, the late Joseph Kavindama, the late Maitshwarelo Dabutha and the late Sidwell Gabatshwane. Other surviving founders include Michael Dingake, Mokgweetsi Kgosipula, Isaac Mabiletsa, Gilson Saleshando, Mamela, Otlaadisa Koosaletse and James Pilane.

'Very soon the BCP leadership will be cascading its strategic plan to the lower structures of the party and we will be like a house on fire. We were called all sorts of names by our detractors but our resilience is proving that we are getting somewhere.'

He is positive that the BCP as a project is paying dividends, 'as after 1999 general election people were ruling us out but we soldiered on. You can't ignore us now as a player as we are a force to reckon with.'

He sees the opposition cooperation as no threat to the continued growth of the BCP as the opposition cooperation is not meant to disrupt programmes of individual parties.

Mamela is still a bachelor but he is not looking as he has a family that he is taking care of until the right moment comes for him to tie the knot.

Even with odds stacked against him, Mamela has no intentions of chickening out of elective office until he achieves his dream of 'representing the interests of the poor' in Botswana.