Ngami promises stiff political contest

KETO SEGWAI
Staff Writer | Friday July 25, 2008 00:00

 

Like his counterpart in the Okavango, the Member of Parliament for Ngami, Jacob Nkate, is also fighting a two-tier battle to retain his constituency. Jacob Nkate or 'JD' as he is fondly called, has to wade off a stiff challenge from within the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) and from two opposition candidates.

However, unlike Vistor Moruti of the Okavango, Nkate has an added burden to stay put as he is no ordinary MP. Nkate is not only a senior minister within government but he also mans the powerful portfolio of secretary-general of the BDP. He is also rumoured to have ambitions for the vice-presidency. 

Nkate blazed onto the political scene as a young hawk in 1994 and did the unthinkable by unseating the independence era veteran politician, Gaerolwe Kwerepe. It was unthinkable in that in the Domkrag tradition of those days, a young aspirant could only successfully ascend to a seat with the direct blessing of the sitting veteran. But Nkate broke that convention, off course with the tacit support of some heavyweight party wigs in the constituency, notably the late Komberese Phuthulogo, who went on to become a councillor for Bodibeng/Bothathogo.

As fate would have it, it is now senior Kwerepe's progeny, Thato Kwerepe who has visited sleepless nights upon Nkate. Kwerepe junior, or 'TK' as he is popularly called, is to square off with Nkate on the 26 July BDP primaries. During the last primaries for the 2004 general elections, Nkate had to fend off serious challenge from the then Phuthulogo protege in the form of Tipster Gasethata Modimoosi. The latter did not do badly for someone who had just decamped from the opposition Botswana Independence Party or Kgomo e Tshwaana, the precursor to BAM. Apparently, along the way, Nkate and Phutologo fell out.

While the Nkate/Kwerepe tussle will be decided upon tomorrow, Modimoosi, who has resurfaced again as a Nkate opponent, but this time under the Botswana National Front (BNF) ticket, will have his date with his adversary in October 2009. Modimoosi resigned from the BDP last year citing 'irreconciliable differences' with the party.

It remains to be seen whether Modimoosi's supporters during his tackle with Nkate will this time around follow him to his new political home. During the last general elections there was this perception that the opposition's remarkable showing was attributable to disgruntled and anti-Nkate or pro-Modimoosi party members. But the opposition - the Botswana Alliance Movement (BAM) and the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) maintain it was on the basis of their hard work.

Besides the Modimoosi factor, a BDP primaries winner will have to contend with the ever threatening spectre of a newly created pact between BAM, BCP and the National Democratic Front (NDF).

During the 2004 general elections, Nkate won with 5,291 votes while Taolo Habano of BAM garnered 3,922 and Geoffrey Ketjimambo  of BCP got 2,361. That basically gives the two opposition parties a 992 vote lead over the BDP. Of the 13 wards in the constituencies, the BDP holds seven as against the BAM/BCP's six.

In the aftermath of the BAM/BCP pact, BCP's Ketjimambo has since opted to contest a council seat in Qangwa, leaving the parliamentary contest to Habano of the BAM.

Habano and Nkate, however have something in common - the perceived advantages.  While Habano's perceived advantages hinge around last elections' favourable figures, Nkate's are on incumbency. 

But Habano, with his parental demeanour cautiously notes that 'dithopho ke dithopho.  Though statistics reflect on us in an advantaged light, Botswana's politics are influenced by other factors, most of which we have no control over as politicians. In the final analysis, all we have to do is work very hard to make sure people are on our side'.

On the other hand, Kwerepe and Modimoosi have to grapple with having to confront incumbent candidates who are basically building on the support they got from the last elections. Both are however undeterred by their perceived 'underdog' status in this race.

Kwerepe, an educationist whose last posting was as the headmaster of Naledi Senior Secondary in Gaborone, reasons matter of factly that disadvantages can be easily turned into opportunities.

'The only way is to know and understand the needs and aspirations of our people. One has to identify with these. And I think that makes me the better candidate of the two. There are many issues that have not been addressed by the incumbent. '

While he acknowledges the disadvantages of being the first time candidate for the BNF in the area, Modimoosi casts himself as an agent of change 'as change can bring along a new way of doing things and new commitment.' He also decried the fact that 'our politics is increasingly becoming money-driven. Substance has become subservient to material power'.

According to Habano, his parliamentary mission appears to be clearly cut out - that is  the accelerated development of basic infrastructure which he sees as a nationwide problem, though pronounced in Ngamiland. He describes the provision of water, roads, telecommunications, electricity, health, education and others as 'the fundamentals of development'.

He points out that with properly developed infrastructure, the region with its obvious comparative advantage in general livestock and agriculture vocations coupled with abundant water can contribute positively to the country's economy. Habano has been associated with veterinary services since 1972 until he quit in 2003 as a superintendent of works.

He cites the area from Nokaneng to Lake Ngami as the number one livestock production area in Ngamiland while the whole area between Gumare up all the way to the hinterland of the Okavango as just waiting to be cultivated. He described the whole region as being ripe for tourism development. 'All that is needed is to create an enabling environment, and the people can go about developing themselves and the region. Government seems to forget that much of the household income in Ngamiland is generated through agricultural activities.

'Government seems to pay too much emphasis on tourism, which in most cases benefits only foreigners while our children are just mere labourers.'

Kwerepe also picks up the poor state of infrastructural development in the region.  'Roads, particularly feeder roads, are critical to the development of any region. Our gravel feeder roads are in a terrible state and rarely maintained. These include roads to Kareng, Qangwa, Makakung, Habu, Kahakao, Tubu, Bothathogo and others.'

He decried the under-development of the Sehitwa-Tsau-Maun-Gantsi junction which he said is long overdue. 'This junction if fully utilised can bring dividends to the region like the Nata-Kazungula one'.

Kwerepe also concurs that Ngamiland is a tourism area yet the region is failing to take advantage of that potential. 'Take the case of the NG4 in the Xaxa area has long been ready to be developed as a community trust'.

Habano adds that even Lake Ngami can be turned into a bird sanctuary similar to the now famous Nata bird sanctuary, which attracts tourists worldwide. Modimoosi concludes that 'our representation has been a let down. Nkate has been preaching tourism, but what tourism project is there to show in the region?  Natural resources are abundant in the area,' he asked. 

A scheduled interview with the ever-busy minister of education, Nkate could not take place due to an emergency situation of the passing of his in-law.