Although some women did not win the primaries, the overall outcome shows notable progress in women competing for political positions. Specifically, 11 women participated in the parliamentary primary elections. Of these, five won, and another one ran unopposed. Among those who lost are Finance Minister, also allegedly eyed as President Mokgweetsi Masisi's likely heir and two Assistant Ministers from different ministries. Nevertheless, this progress comes despite President Masisi's appeals to party members to vote for women. In contrast, in the 2019 General Election, only five women contested the party primaries, and many failed to secure positions, prompting the President to appoint them as Specially Elected Members of Parliament. Of the five women who won the primaries, only three made it to Parliament, while some lost in the general elections.
Therefore, winning primary elections does not guarantee a victory in the general elections, which poses an additional challenge for the women. Similarly, in opposition parties, the number of women contesting is low. Consequently, they too will face the challenge of the general elections. Moreover, these women are competing in highly competitive constituencies, which further complicates their chances of securing an easy win. However, the BDP vice chairperson for the Women's Wing, Veronica Lesole, said the failure by some party members to vote for women in party democratic processes such as Bulela Ditswe, especially for Parliamentary positions, remains a concern. She emphasised that while women's representation in council seats is improving, it is still not satisfactory, though better than in parliamentary positions. "More education needs to be done for women to support others and for the community as well to change its mindset. Women are the only ones who can advocate better on issues affecting them. In SADC, our country has the lowest numbers. There is a need to change the way we do things," she said. Furthermore, she said the committee would conduct a lot of training to try to change people's mindsets on how they view things.
