Onalenna Modikwa
17 September 2007
Mogapinyana — The ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) comprehensively defeated the opposition to retain the Mogapinyana council in a by-election on Saturday.
The BDP's Freddy Mokokwana garnered 303 out of the 399 votes cast to beat Boitumelo Sekonopi of the Botswana National Front (BNF) and Gaboratanelwe Odisitse of the Botswana Congress Party (BCP). Sekonopi was second with 68 votes while Odisitse got 28. The opposition was contesting the seat for the first time. During the counting it was obvious that the BDP had retained the seat with a landslide as an overwhelming number of votes were marked for its candidate. Sarcastic laughter would fill the Kgatadimo Secondary School's dining hall when a ballot paper marked for the opposition candidates surfaced.
The laughter was more intense when the BCP candidate got a vote because it was rare and far in between. Surprisingly, when the BNF results were announced the hall was filled with deafening applause that was almost louder than the one accorded to the ruling party. It appeared like the BCP and BNF were competing with each other and not the BDP. The BNF members looked happy to have outwitted the BCP in area that is supposed to be its hunting ground.
The new councillor, Mokokwana said he was very happy not only to have won the elections but to continue the legacy of his late predecessor. He said he will ensure he is accessible to the people and he will try his best to bring services to the area. He said elections went well though the opposition threatened to divide the residents along tribal lines.
BCP's Odisitse who accepted the results decried lack of support from women. She said as a woman, she had expected other women to support her but this did not happen. Though he did not win, BNF's Sekonopi indicated that he was happy with the numbers he got in his first attempt. He said it was encouraging and the party has the potential to perform better in future.
A day prior to the elections, the usually sleepy village witnessed intense political activity as parties engaged in last-ditch attempts to woo voters. Cabinet ministers Jacob Nkate and Charles Tibone and MP Kavis Kario led the ruling party troops while the BCP had secretary general Taolo Lucas. The BNF tasked its publicity secretary Moeti Mohwasa to lead the charge.
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