He was on Monday named Deputy Minister of Land and Agriculture in President Duma Boko’s new Cabinet. Dikoloti had found himself on the political sidelines before the 2024 General Election, after the BDP unceremoniously removed him as their candidate, opting instead for ex-Finance minister Peggy Serame, despite his victory in the party’s primary elections. He contested and won the recent general election as an independent candidate for Goodhope-Mmathethe Constituency, becoming only the second parliamentary candidate in the country to win an election as a ‘mokoko’ after Nehemiah Modubule’s feat in 2009. But Dikoloti has no time to rest and count his blessings as he will now serve in the new administration’s Cabinet, deputising Dr Micus Chimbombi.
President Boko named part of his Cabinet on Monday morning, which includes another opposition member, Lawrence Ookeditse in what is an unusual occurrence. Ookeditse has been named Assistant Minister of Health. When explaining the appointment, Boko said despite having been a BDP member, Dikoloti as a former minister, can still serve well with the capacities he has proven. Whilst many, especially those in the BDP had written his political obituary, doubting his chances to return in the 13th Parliament, Dikoloti will now be chauffeured around in a ‘black car’, a privilege he was stripped of when he was fired by former president Mokgweetsi Masisi just a month ago. At the time of his firing, Dikoloti was serving as the Minister of Health. Although an independent, Dikoloti is one of the few survivors of the BDP's 12th Parliament legislators.
BDP witnessed one of its dramatic primary elections when the outright winner Dikoloti was tossed aside to give way for Serame, who was the party’s preferred candidate,. There was an opinion that Masisi favoured Serame because she was in the ‘bigger plan’ of his government. He decided to approach court for reinstatement but later withdrew the case after being suspended from the BDP for 60 days. He then registered as an independent candidate under the slogan 'Wena Beulah'. Many people felt that Dikoloti had been wronged, and therefore garnered support from former BDP sympathisers.
