05 Oct 2017

It is a stubborn and endurable 34 kilometres drive on a meandering and unforgivingly rough gravel road from Mabeleapodi to Majwanaadipitse.

The air is thick with anticipation for the supposedly fierce bye-election slated for tomorrow at Tshimoyapula and Majwanaadipitse villages.

A signboard bearing Tshimoyapula ushers us into the village, where campaign posters of both the Botswana Democratic Party and Umbrella for Democratic Change and those of the independent candidate smile at us. A few of them fly in the wind and unintentionally falls in the hands of potential voters.

We made a young drive into Tshimoyapula before enduring another ride to Majwanaadipitse where we identified all the three camps of candidates vying for the vacant seat as a result of the passing on of Mr Mosarwe Leposo in July.

In 2014 elections a total of 1223 people were registered at the ward where only 999 managed to cast their vote.  From the 999 votes 46 ballots were rejected. The departed Mr Leposo had garnered 611 votes, whilst Mr Modala Modala of UDC got 342.

At UDC village, where the party is hopeful of a win for their candidate Mr Modala Modala, they hoisted a Botswana Movement for Democracy flag besides a white tent, just a stone throw away from the village kgotla.

At the independent candidate, Ms Chibuya Dabutha camp supporters were clad in all green colors bearing a black logo with a slogan ‘Tumelo ke Thebe.’ They are not a huge numbers but, they breathe an air of optimism.

At the BDP village one is greeted by a huge poster of party President, Lieutenant Genereal Dr Seretse Khama Ian Khama juxtaposed to that of the aspiring candidate Mr Katholo Tapologo.

Candidates and their campaign managers are upbeat that the will get the necessary numbers to see them through to the Central District Council where they will also form part of the Serowe Administrative Authority Sub Council. But only one candidate will make the cut.

BDP candidate, Mr Tapologo cut a relaxed figure as he narrated the party’s strategies towards retaining the ward. He said that the party’s strategies were backed up by the senior citizens who have pledged unwavering support to the party and his candidature.

However, campaign manager Mr Solomon Dikgang clarified that initially some members of the party had expressed dissatisfaction at the choice of the candidate, but were put to rest after all candidates pleaded with them to accept Mr Tapologo.

Mr Tapologo who lost in party primary elections in 2004 said that his party had put sound programmes for enjoyment by his people.

He also revealed that BDP led government will soon construct a tarred road from Serowe to Serule that would pass through Tshimoyapula. He also said that his village has enjoyed P1.8 million kgotla offices under economic stimulus programme. As for Majwanaadipitse, Mr Tapologo said that his government had rural area dwellers programmes aimed at helping the villagers.

However, the UDC campaign manager, Mr Badiredi Lekgatlhane read their plan of ousting BDP from what was termed their stronghold.

He said that for a long time the ward had been sidelined for development and cited that Majwanaadipitse did not have electricity, the poor state of roads linking the two villages and Mabeleapodi, poor health and care at the ward.

He revealed that a plus to their campaign was the fact that some members of BDP felt hard done by their party in imposing a candidate on them.

He said that their candidate Mr Modala was sellable to the electorate as he has been contributing to the villages’ developmental agenda. Apart from advocating for changes and selling their candidate, Mr Lekgatlhane said that they educated electorate about the meaning of the upcoming by-election and their value of their vote.

Independent candidate Ms Dabutha, who claims to have been active in the ward since 2014 said despite the taxing campaigns, she had worked hard to eventually get a seat at CDC to represent Tshimoyapula-Majwanaadipitse ward.

Though she believed she had ‘done everything humanely possible’ to win the seat, she wished she could have had the might to visit all the houses. She termed as propaganda news relating to her decision to stand as independent candidate, saying the party leadership had failed her.

In her campaign, Ms Dabutha talks change which she said was only possible if people first start changing themselves. She said she had an agreement with electorate that it was incumbent upon them to vote for change.

She argued that developments and lack of them affected every resident of the ward regardless of party colours and therefore called on voters to vote for her.

She said she had all requisites of a councillor as she treats the ward as a project and would not therefore rely on government to carryout projects. ENDS