A fierce battle is expected among parliamentary candidates at this year’s General Election in three Francistown constituencies.
For instance, in Francistown East, Godisang Radisigo has an assignment of retaining the constituency for the ruling party, while the Botswana Congress Party's (BCP) Vain Mamela, will attempt to overcome his reputation as a perennial general election loser. Tiroyaone Ntsima of the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) will attempt to make his mark, having failed in previous attempts to go to Parliament. In Francistown South, Modiri Lucas of the Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) hopes that his philanthropic exploits will earn him votes. The UDC’s Wynter Mmolotsi will leverage on his extensive political experience to defend his seat. Solly Reikeletseng of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) will try his luck as a political novice in the area. In Francistown West, Ignatius Moswaane of the UDC would also heavily depend of his rich political resume to retain the constituency, while the BCP’s Mothusi Chimbise seeks to capitalise on existing party structures. Grembo Kealotswe of the BDP will inevitably depend on his resources prowess to emerge victorious.
FRANCISTOWN EAST
BDP
The ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) has fielded Radisigo, who won the BDP primaries against incumbent Buti Billy. Radisigo is the outgoing Francistown mayor. His political profile has gained so much strength since he became mayor five years ago. He will inevitably rely on the visibility that he has gained during his five-year tenure to win the polls. The other plus for him is that the ruling party still looks solid in the area. The party did not experience much turmoil following the widely disputed primary elections. Perhaps, the challenge for Radisigo might be the fact that there are those who believe that he did not do much as a mayor.
BCP
The BCP has fielded political veteran, Mamela. The biggest asset for Mamela is that the BCP boasts very solid structures in the constituency. The party has emerged second best since the polls that were held since 2009 and its numbers have been improving over the years. In all occasions, the party fielded attorney Morgan Moseki. The other advantage is that Mamela also started preparations for this year’s general election earlier than other candidates because he was not subjected to primaries. However, the challenge for Mamela is that he has gained a reputation of being a perennial loser. He will have to work hard to prove his doubters wrong.
UDC
The UDC has fielded Tiroyaone Ntsima. In recent months, Ntsima and members of his constituency have been visible in the constituency. He is also considered a quality candidate who can articulate issues with ease. Ntsima is a Botswana Peoples Party (BPP) member, an affiliate of the UDC. His undoing is that the BPP, and by extension, the UDC do not have well established structures in the area, meaning that he will have to double his efforts to win the constituency. In 2019 the constituency was allocated to the BCP who were then part of the UDC. The other challenge for Ntsima is that his candidacy was shrouded in controversy. There were reports that some in the UDC, especially from the Alliance for Progressives (AP), questioned his candidacy. The AP, who are also an affiliate of the UDC, wanted to be allocated the constituency because they believe that they have better structures. The AP contested the constituency at the last general election as a sole entity. The AP might retaliate by sabotaging Ntsima’s election bid.
BPF
The BPF has fielded Keorapetse Muzila in the constituency. Muzila is relatively unknown in the political cycles but those who know her claim that she has the competence to represent the people of Francistown East in Parliament. Although she has been trying her best to drum up support for her election bid by hosting rallies in the constituency, her main undoing might be that she started her campaigns very late compared to her opponents.
FRANCISTOWN SOUTH
BPF
Former nominated councillor, Modiri Lucas, will represent the BPF. Lucas ditched the ruling party last month after losing the BDP primaries. His most significant challenge is that he launched his candidacy very late, which gives him little time to solidify his election bid. He might also be perceived as a bitter individual because he joined the BPF after losing the ruling party primaries, when his demands for a re-run were not met. On the other hand, Lucas has staged various philanthropic activities in the constituency in recent months. To some extent, these activities have raised his profile as a community builder. As such, there is no doubt that he will be hoping that his philanthropic works will earn him votes.
BDP
The BDP leadership is very serious about recapturing the constituency from the opposition, because it used to be its stronghold before incumbent MP Wynter Mmolotsi defected to the opposition. The party has since fielded former Botswana National Sports Commission (BNSC) chairperson, Reikeletseng, in the constituency. Some think that Reikeletseng has an added advantage because he grew up in the constituency. His parents are still living in the constituency. However, the defection of some BDP members to the BPF after the controversy -ridden ruling party primaries might harm Reikeletseng’s prospects of going to Parliament. Reikeletseng is also considered an inexperienced political activist having started his political activism late last year. However, the fact that he recently won the ruling party primaries at first attempt means that he cannot be taken lightly.
BCP
The BCP has fielded Interest Tawele in the constituency. Tawele was previously the Ikageleng ward councillor. The disadvantage for Tawele is that he has been in the political wilderness for a very long time. The BCP's presence in Francistown South has been waning and has somewhat been overshadowed by Mmolotsi's strong performance over the years. At the last polls, the BCP fielded Tiroyaone Ntsima through the UDC and came third. Mmolotsi managed 3, 454 votes while the BDP managed 2, 878. This then means that Tawele will have to double his efforts to win.
UDC
Mmolotsi is probably the most experienced when pitted against Reikeletseng and Lucas. He is a direct member of the AP. His is the first Member of Parliament to win the General Election under three different parties. He first won the elections in Francistown South under BDP before retaining the it under the BMD. He won the constituency under the AP at the last General Election. His ability to connect with the constituents and articulate himself in Parliament is a plus. While he has a solid support base, he will not rest on his laurels because political dynamics can change in favour of any of his opponents at the eleventh hour.
FRANCISTOWN WEST
UDC
Political maverick, Moswaane, faces the most significant challenge of his political career. For the first time, he will be contesting the parliamentary elections outside the ruling party having defected to the Botswana People’s Party (BPP), an affiliate of the UDC, just after the 2019 General Election. The BPP does not have a noticeable presence in Francistown West as compared to the ruling party and the BCP. However, the party has been more visible in the area since the recruitment of Moswaane. His campaign has been one of the loudest in the constituency. In the main, Moswaane will leverage on his reputation as a voice of “the voiceless”. He has hardly put a foot wrong in Parliament. His other plus is that he is a good grassroots politician and strategist in some quarters.
BCP
The BCP has fielded businessman, Chimbise, who contested under the BPF banner at the last General Election. The most worrying factor for Chimbise, according to those close to the dynamics in the area, is that he has not been more visible and is not a grassroots politician. The advantage for Chimbise is that BCP structures in the constituency are still very much intact, which should heighten his work rate, he can pull a surprise.
BDP
The most notable advantage for the BDP candidate, Kealotswe, is that he is said to be more resourced than other candidates although there are still sentiments that some of his campaign strategies lack tact. The BDP also has functional structures in the constituency although they were a bit rattled by Moswaane’s defection to the BPP. For example, in the 2019 General Election, they won the constituency with 4, 928 votes. He was followed by the UDC who then relied on the strength of the BCP, the AP, the BPF and an independent candidate with 3, 138, 763, 371 and 40 votes respectively. This then means that Kealotswe has a solid foundation to build on, with a view to boosting his bid to go to Parliament.
BPF
The BPF has fielded Hendrick Mfundisi who is unknown. Mfundisi’s campaign has been of low key, something largely attributed to lack of resources. The other disadvantage for him is that the BPF does not have any convincing following in the constituency. The party managed 371 votes at the 2019 General Election. This explains why it will take a miracle for Mfundisi to make an impact at the polls.
