This is a hostile constituency that the opposition party fortuitously usurped from the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) in the 2019 polls. And of course, the ruling BDP is still hurting as a result of the loss. It was chiefly aided by Ian Khama, who on the eve of the 2019 General Election formed a party that divided opinion in Mahalapye and other areas in the vast Central District where the former president has massive support as Bangwato Kgosi.
Boko shocked the nation yesterday when he tendered his resignation from active politics, simply vacating the seat he held for almost five years and could not wait to serve until the end of the remaining months up to October.
Reports show that the party has allegedly subjected him to primaries something that might have offended him. Other reports suggest that his reasons for departure are purely ‘personal’.
He leaves Parliament with an interesting history of often showing an irritable disposition which can simply be summed up as peevish. In the vernacular, this disposition is known as setete or sebeto. After winning his seat in 2019, the politician-cum-attorney simply shed tears of joy for a while, and the same disposition was repeated as he left the National Assembly yesterday.
In the 2019 General Election, Boko who at the time was touted as the UDC’s youngest legislator at 32 years, convincingly won Mahalapye-East constituency, which was for the longest time a stronghold for the BDP.
Just like his neighbouring Mahalapye-West counterpart, David Tshere, was part of the wider history-making opposition team in the vast Central District where a new kid on the political bloc, Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF), which is an offshoot of the BDP, landed with a whirlwind on the political scene with the plan to ’unseat’ the ruling party.
Besides performing well by winning the three Serowe constituencies, the BPF made several damaging assists that denied the BDP victory in its traditional strongholds amongst them Shoshong, Bobirwa, Palapye, Sefhare-Ramokgonami and Selebi-Phikwe East.
The BDP was unseated as the opposition won a majority of the seats in the north of Dibete cordon fence. The BDP, on the other hand, almost barricaded the opposition from south of Dibete cordon fence.
For the first time in the country’s history, the UDC won Mahalapye East parliamentary seat represented by Boko who had garnered 4,323 votes against the BDP’s Dr Ditshupo Maje who was voted by 3,786 people. Lazarus Lekgoanyana of the BPF got 2,145. There were 137 spoilt votes while a total of 12,328 people registered to vote, with 10,150 casting their votes. At the 2019 General Election, the UDC found itself at the right place and at the right time.
It was just when the BDP and its offshoot the BPF were at loggerheads and deeply engrossed in the just commenced political fights between Khama (Ian) and the incumbent President Mokgweetsi Masisi. The UDC benefitted from the relationship that had irretrievably broken down.
For a newly formed BPF, it was more about its patron and tribal chief, Khama who campaigned for the new party with a view of unseating the BDP, a feat he could not attain.
Now, about five years later, the political situation in Mahalapye-East has diametrically been altered after one of the UDC partners, the BCP made a decision right in Mahalapye-East to bolt out of the coalition after citing undemocratic tendencies by the UDC leader, Duma Boko.
The move might have weakened the 2019 strength of the UDC. However, the UDC gathers solace from a development in which the BPF, another strong partner in the area, has since joined the coalition which might, recoup its strength. Whilst no legislator is indispensable, losing one ahead of a crucial general election can even be riskier as there is no guarantee that going into a by-election, any party will easily win the day.
Ahead of the general election in October, all the parties interested in Mahalapye-East will definitely line up for this crucial opportunity to try their strengths ahead of the main polls. For the UDC, the vacancy provides a sterner test to the coalition’s popularity and agility in times of trials and tribulations like in a void left by Boko, a young and promising politician whom villagers felt had a future. The BCP, which had fielded Tshere in Mahalapye West before he decamped to the UDC, will also be under the microscope about how they will deal with the vacancy in Mahalapye East as a party, whether they will test their candidate or just leave it to the UDC, and the latter part is most unlikely.
The BDP, which has been almost absent from the constituency after a poor performance in 2019, might be regretting their failure to start working in the constituency much earlier with the aim of regaining what they had lost. In fact, it was apparent during a by-election that was necessitated by the departure of former Serowe-West legislator, Tshekedi Khama that the BDP’s absence from the constituencies that they had lost in 2019 was likely to work against them.
Although the party claims to have never abandoned the areas, evidence on the ground suggests that the BDP has not been investing its time and cadres in the areas as if it’s simply giving them away.
Armed with all the resources to win an election, the BDP failed to win back the constituency (Serowe-West) even when the BPF was represented by a less popular candidate, a sign that constituents were concerned more with voting for the BPF and not an individual candidate per se. BDP secretary-general, Kavis Kario explained in a previous interview that there was no way the BDP could remove its eyes from any constituency as its bigger picture has been to win the elections and form a government.
Botswana National Front (BNF) secretary-general, Ketlhalefile Motshegwa indicated that from Boko’s primary party, BNF of the UDC, “ We have heard that he has resigned, citing personal reasons.
We have nothing more to say except to acknowledge his resignation and thank him for having served as an MP under the BNF of the UDC,” explained Motshegwa.
Meanwhile, he indicated that the writ for primary elections is currently running and they will be held on April 7, 2024 and those who have expressed interest in the area will run for primary elections including in Mahalapye East for candidature for the 2024 General Election.
Commenting on the development, University of Botswana politics and administrative studies lecturer, Adam Mfundisi was hopeful that the UDC would find another capable candidate to replace Boko.
“Hoping that it would not trigger political warfare amongst contracting partners especially the BPF vying for the seat. “Mahalapye is relatively a safe constituency for the UDC,” posited Mfundisi.
He added that a combination of the BPF and the BNF support would overwhelm any BDP challenge, “as the latter’s support has been dwindling since the 2019 polls.”
