17 Sep 2020

The Jwaneng deputy district commissioner, Mr Lesang Kgomoetsile says the electoral process is a continuous exercise.

During his welcome remarks at a Party Liaison Committee (PLC) meeting in Jwaneng on September 17, Mr Kgomoetsile advised members to always be ready, as an election may be occasioned any moment.

“Apart from the national elections that are scheduled every five years, we can have by-elections anytime, which can be occasioned by various factors. So there is a need for all the concerned parties to always be on the ready for such occurrences,” he said.Mr Kgomoetsile said apart from elections, there were numerous activities that needed the input of PLC members, such as the review of the past elections, as well as educating the first time voters.

“All these indicate that the electoral process never ceases turning, so stakeholders such as political parties, are vital in all these,” he said. For his part, the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) representative, Mr Balosang Rakaisa said it was important for political parties to be made aware of constituency demarcation lines, to help prevent conflict and voter trafficking.

He said even though some parties sometimes deliberately trafficked voters, some were genuine mistakes by people not aware of where a polling station falls. Mr Rakaisa also decried the low attendance by committee members, saying such will hamper progress.

For her part, principal elections officer, Ms Masego Malebang said they would arrange to present a map of the demarcation lines to the political parties. She said that if need arose, her office could even arrange a physical tour of the polling districts, after the delimitation exercise.

Meanwhile, a representative of the faith based organisations, Mr Ditshotlo Moreti called for more political education at the church, especially for church leaders, who could later cascade the message to their congregants.

Mr Moreti said most congregants had low interest in politics as they perceived it as indecent.

The IEC office promised to liaise with the ministers’ fraternal to bring the church on board. ENDS