Majere, a councillor for Tshwaragano ward and the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) activist, was elected on Monday after he defeated Lesego Kwambala of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) by 17 votes to 12. Majere is deputised by Uyapo Nyeku, also of the UDC, who defeated Lillian Griesmier of the BDP by 23 votes to six. The Francistown City Council (FCC) has 29 councillors inclusive of seven who are nominated councillors. The UDC has 19 councillors inclusive of seven nominated councillors while the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) and BDP have six and four councillors respectively. Before being elected as mayor and deputy mayor, Majere and Nyeku defeated their comrades Peter Ngoma and Tshepo Pheko for their respective positions during a UDC caucus meeting on Sunday. The election of Majere and Nyeju marks a new chapter in the leadership of Francistown.
For many years, Francistown was under the leadership of the BDP, which was, however, dethroned from leadership of the city following a poor performance in the 2024 General Election. Majere told this publication on Wednesday that he is passionate about addressing the needs of the people of Francistown especially the underserved communities and the informal sector in order to create a more inclusive environment for all residents. Asked if he had what it takes to lead the people of Francistown, Majere said he has deep family roots in Francistown, a city he was born and bred in. “I have lived most of my life in Francistown and I have been a councillor in this city for the past 10 years. I have been a resident of Francistown for many years and I know the challenges of this city like the palm of my hand. I think that as a mayor, I have to set the tone of how we are going to move forward and what’s going to happen,” said an optimistic Majere. He added: “As the city’s new leadership from the UDC, we will implement some changes in the running of the city. We will look at the UDC manifesto and see what it has for the people of Francistown.
