Two constituencies currently held by UDC legislators who were previously members of the opposition, Botswana Congress Party (BCP), have suddenly become battlegrounds for UDC disputes. The UDC’s other areas have also been gripped by bickering despite the party leadership providing direction on how the party should share wards ahead of the General Election. When the BCP, a former party contracted to the UDC, left the latter after the leaders of the two parties could not agree on a number of contentious issues, four legislators and other councillors chose to remain loyal to the UDC which they won the 2019 General Election under.
In the process, the BCP resolved to fire the MPs that were stuck with the UDC. Although there were previously five legislators that had abandoned the BCP for the UDC, one of them, Okavango MP, Kenny Kapinga changed heart and returned to the BCP. Palapye MP, Onneetse Ramogapi, Never Tshabang (Nkange), Dithapelo Keorapetse ( Selebi-Phikwe West) and Mahalapye West MP David Tshere, are former members of the BCP. Whilst Keorapetse and Tshere have relatively quite campaigns, Ramogapi and Tshabang have been gripped by brouhaha from members of the contracted parties, the Botswana National Front (BNF) and the Alliance for progressives (AP) who want shares of the wards, more than the incumbent MPs can give away. This is despite that the UDC leadership has given specifications on how much MP candidates can do in their endeavour to win constituencies for the UDC. Out of frustration recently, MP Ramogapi of Palapye blasted the BNF secretary-general, Ketlhalefile Motshegwa, and the AP members for ‘imposing’ council candidates without even consulting him disregarding the party provision on managing council candidates. Motshegwa was in no mood to respond to Mmegi enquiries and he dismissively said: “I am aware of many more and I don’t have time for petty issues.”
