Looking to 2019

Already playing out and pointing to determining factors are the election of Botsalo Ntuane as secretary general of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), the almost certain merger of the three opposition parties – the Botswana National Front (BNF), the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD) and the Botswana Peoples Party (BPP); as well as the uncertainty of the Botswana Congress Party joining the umbrella.

Opinion makers have observed that those in opposition should not take the combination of Ntuane and the new BDP chairman, vice president Mokgweetsi Masisi lightly. They are a lethal combination. While Masisi may not be popular for his ‘lelope’ utterances, he is still a strong candidate to handle opposition big brains in the likes of Duma Boko and Ndaba Gaolathe. He will present a tough game for opposition if he survives the party turbulences until 2019. But what will be more interesting about the BDP is the Ntuane’s return, and his vision for the country. It is a vision that may be attractive even to some youth in the opposition, but he alone cannot make it a reality.