UDC March For Water :: Mmegi Online

As the water crisis in the southern part of the country hit an all time high, with the greater Gaborone running dry due to water rationing, the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) took to the streets on Friday to demand water and electricity. The march from Mogoditshane through the streets of Gaborone, however, missed one notable figure, the UDC president Duma Boko.

The main opposition, though stressing that the march was not a political move, had multitudes donned in the UDC colours and was supported by the smaller opposition Botswana Congress Party and the trade unions under the Botswana Federation of Public Sector Unions (BOFEPUSU). The demonstrators, led by among others, the UDC secretary general, Ndaba Gaolathe, the Gaborone Central MP, Phenyo Butale and fellow opposition parliamentarians, seemed to be intent on delivering their message in the cold wet morning.

They carried political messages of demand and sang provocative songs pointed at the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) and its leadership. President Ian Khama was the toast with some of the placards reading: ‘Khama le sa go kaila kaila re batla metsi’, ‘WUC e kae Thothi re e somarele’, ‘We want water not talk’.

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