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Fierce battle looms in BPF Nata-Gweta primaries

Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) secretary-general Lawrence Ookeditse and Dukwi councillor Thatayaone Kehitile are set for a fierce battle in the primaries over the weekend, to decide the party’s parliamentary candidate for Nata-Gweta constituency at the 2024 General Election.   PIC MORERI SEJAKGOMO
Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) secretary-general Lawrence Ookeditse and Dukwi councillor Thatayaone Kehitile are set for a fierce battle in the primaries over the weekend, to decide the party’s parliamentary candidate for Nata-Gweta constituency at the 2024 General Election. PIC MORERI SEJAKGOMO

FRANCISTOWN: Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) secretary-general Lawrence Ookeditse and Dukwi councillor Thatayaone Kehitile are set for a fierce battle in the primaries over the weekend, to decide the party’s parliamentary candidate for Nata-Gweta constituency at the 2024 General Election.

The winner of the primaries will face incumbent Polson Majaga of the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) and Mompati Seitiso of the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC). Analysts have predicted a very tight race at the elections because the two men have been on the ground for sometime. Ookeditse will inevitably rely on his previous experience having contested the parliamentary primaries in the constituency before. In 2018, he lost to Majaga at the BDP primaries to book candidacy for the 2019 General Election. His loss was largely attributed to starting campaigns very late. Ookeditse appears to have learnt a lesson from his 2018 loss as he started his campaigns for the BPF primaries much earlier. He has been on the ground positioning himself for a triumph since early last year.

Sources say he has been the most visible in the constituency and is well resourced. His opponent has also publicly accused him of buying votes, campaigning before turn and gross trafficking. In fact, the rivalry between Kehitile and Ookeditse has been so intense for over two years. At one-point Kehitile was barred from contesting the primaries. He accused Ookeditse of playing a leading role in ensuring that he is prevented from contesting. The party later changed its position. That was after the decision to bar Kehitile from contesting appeared to have caused outrage amongst some BPF members in the constituency. Kehitile will be banking on his position as a councillor for Dukwi, one of the biggest wards in the constituency. His impeccable performance as a councillor can to some extent earn him votes at the primaries. By virtue of being a councillor he has to a certain degree been able to assert himself to BPF members. Kehitile also previously spent a year as the Tutume District Council (TDC) chairperson. The district covers several villages in the constituency.

Editor's Comment
Let us all go to vote

Figures released by the country’s electoral management body have shown that a total of 1, 037, 684 people have registered to vote.However, eligible voters could be discouraged by events leading to the voting day like poor execution of advance voting amid talks that the elections could be unfair.There have also been threats by certain opposition politicians that shall the elections not be free and fair, they will halt them.Despite these...

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