It is not even far-fetched to assume that he has represented the BCP the most in the northern part of the country. During the build-up to the 2014 general elections, Mamela was amongst BCP members who played a starring role as the party went around the country justifying its decision to go at it alone instead of joining an opposition coalition, the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC). At the time, Mamela said the BCP pulled out of the umbrella because it was unreasonable for the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD) to insist on incumbency when the seven constituencies it holds were a result of defections. At one point he likened the BMD to a Thokolosi.
“The BMD is just like a Thokolosi (Zombie). It is said that this creature will ask for goat meat and when you hand it the meat, it demands beef. When you give it the beef, it wants pork and then mutton. Finally it will demand of you to provide it with human flesh. We cannot work with the BMD and I wish to tell you that the Umbrella is dead and buried,” he said at the time during a rally in Francistown.
He added that the BMD refused to make any concessions to the other parties - the Botswana National Front (BNF) and Botswana People’s Party (BPP). After a defeat at the 2014 general elections, the BCP eventually joined the UDC. Mamela even allowed the BCP to hand Francistown South, a constituency he has often contested in, to the BMD. The move was seen as an act of sheer loyalty to the BCP by the veteran politician.
