12 Feb 2020

The Independent Electoral Commission’s (IEC) witness, Mr Shadrack Tsholofelo, has informed Gaborone High Court that he did not receive any complaint from the presiding officer in relation to voting at Moralane Primary School polling station.

Mr Tsholofelo said he was engaged by the IEC as an assistant returning officer and therefore, his duty was to oversee operations of all polling stations within the Mosolotshane/Moralane polling district.

He stated that during his visit to Moralane polling station in the company of three other assistant returning officers, they did not receive any complaints from the presiding officer.  Petitioner’s attorney, Mr Faustino Ngandu, had put it to the witness that there was a complaint from the petitioner, Mr Mogalakwe Mogalakwe regarding a certain individual who was suspected to be canvassing for votes along the queue.

Mr Tsholofelo confirmed that whoever had an issue, it must be reported to the presiding officer who was supposed to deal with it. 

However, Mr Tsholofelo said if the presiding officer had addressed such a complaint accordingly there was no urgency of lodging it with him as such an issue would be included in the final report.He had revealed under cross examination by the petitioner’s attorney that prior to resuming his duties as assistant returning officer, he went through a two-day workshop by the IEC.

Mr Tsholofelo said after he arrived at Moralane polling station, he observed that the cadac lamp that was provided to light the voting room was not function accordingly.

“We then took the lamp outside the voting room and fixed it accordingly,” said Mr Tsholofelo.

He said at the time when they took the cadac lamp outside for repairing, there was no voter inside the voting room. 

“The elections officers were using cellphones to provide light inside the voting room, but at that time there were no voters inside the voting room. ENDS