Is this not the biblical land of milk and honey?

EDWARD BULE
Correspondent | Friday February 25, 2011 00:00

He was addressing a Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) rally at Shashemooke on Sunday to drum up support for the BDP council candidate, Isaac Mabechu, ahead of the February 26 by-election.

Matlhabaphiri said that Botswana under the BDP government is the only one among all the developing countries that has got a viable empowerment programme and social security system.

Calling upon the voters to reject the opposition candidates, he said to thunderous shouts of approval: 'Isaac Mabechu and the BDP stand for poverty eradication. If you vote for the opposition, it means you are opposing ISPAAD, LIMID, CEDA, and Ipelegeng. You are opposing poverty eradication.'

Another speaker was Benjamin Bagayi of Thakadiyawa in Selebi-Phikwe.  A former Botswana National Front (BNF) and Botswana Congress Party (BCP) member Bagayi, who left everybody in stitches when, speaking with the aid of performers, said that opposition parties were very hypocritical adding that while they never put up the state President's portrait in their private business offices - because he is BDP - they are always eager to line their pockets with bank notes, which bear his portraits.

For his part, the BDP candidate Mabechu said his interest in a council seat was motivated by his desire to serve the people, especially the youth, to access government empowerment programmes.

He said having worked for the Ministry of Local Government for many years, he was 'not bringing quantity but quality' to municipal council business. Seeming to contradict himself, considering the poor state of development in the village, he said he was not 'bringing anything new but will continue with the good work that the late Halleluya Mathumo did.'

The area MP and Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Pono Moatlhodi, was his usual boisterous and convivial self.

The theatrical Moatlhodi, one moment kneeling down and the other racing about the stage, thanked those who lost the primary elections for having accepted defeat and for rallying behind the winner.

The MP appealed to women and girls 'to target opposition party men and exploit their weakness like the biblical Delilah did on Samson in order for you to win them to the BDP ahead of the by-election,' to a thunderous applause by the BDP faithfuls.

'When I came here in 1999, you voted for me despite the fact that you did not know me. You know Ike, so vote for him. He resides here unlike one of the opposition candidates who reside at Donga in Francistown.'

The chairman of the Francistown Region, Botho Ntirang, said that contrary to opposition claims that there is no road linking Shashemooke and Francistown, there are in fact three roads linking the two places.

He wondered, to the amusement of his listeners, how the opposition operatives from Francistown found their way to Shashemooke if there was no road. Nor did he spare other people's names.

The name of the Botswana Peoples Party (BPP) candidate, Silent Tlale was pronounced 'Tlala' and the explanation that he is either hungry or portends hunger should, therefore, be ignored.