By-election candidates reveal playbooks
Thursday, April 06, 2023 | 290 Views |
BCP members PIC: MORERI SEJAKGOMO
Bonyongo had won the ward in 2019 with 692 votes. He was followed by the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), an independent candidate and Botswana Patriotic Change (BPF) with 356, 321 and 176 votes respectively.
The political dynamics in the ward have now changed. As such, the Botswana Congress Party (BCP), an affiliate of the Umbrella for Democratic Change), will slug it out with the UDC. The BCP has been consistently losing recent by-elections to the UDC which also consists of the BPF, the Botswana National Front (BNF) and the Botswana People’s Party (BPP).
Whilst celebrating milestones in inclusivity, with notably P5 billion awarded to vulnerable groups, the report sounds a 'siren' on a dangerous and growing trend: the ballooning use of micro-procurement. That this method, designed for small-scale, efficient purchases, now accounts for a staggering 25% (P8 billion) of total procurement value is not a sign of agility, but a 'red flag'. The PPRA’s warning is unequivocal and must be...