Mqondisi Dube
15 September 2008
opinion
Selebi- Phikwe — Just like in a 100 meter race where athletes take off at a blistering pace, Selebi-Phikwe West Botswana National Front (BNF) parliamentary candidate, Moeti Mohwasa has wasted no time in launching an ambitious campaign to wrestle the seat from the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP).
The election mad season is here, and streetlights, combis and public places will soon be drowned in all sorts of campaign paraphenalia.
Although in Selebi Phikwe it has been relatively quiet since 2004, the BNF publicity secretary has adorned the town and some combis plying the western area with his campaign posters.
One has to rewind to the 2004 general election when the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) publicity secretary, Dumelang Saleshando, had voters spellbound with a charismatic campaign that won acclaim from his supporters and opponents alike.
Like his BCP counterpart, Mohwasa has set an early pace in the race to win votes in Selebi-Phikwe West.
Voting is only expected next October, leaving other candidates with ample time to get their campaign off the ground. Mohwasa believes that one has to make an early impact on the campaign.
With all parties having settled their 2009 candidates, Mohwasa's campaign immediately took off.
BNF was the only party in Selebi Phikwe West that unveiled its 2009 candidates at a press conference in May.
BCP leader, Gilson Saleshando, who is the party candidate in Selebi Phikwe West printed A3 size calendars at the beginning of the year with his portrait although they were largely distributed to party members.
Mohwasa said his campaign centers on the people. He wants people to feel part of the campaign and own it the same way US Democratic Party presidential candidate, Barack Obama, set about his campaign.
"The campaign has to touch people. The voters have to relate to my campaign, particularly on issues that affect them," Mohwasa said.
He would not divulge other strategies that he will employ to woo voters but the campaign promises to be fiercely contested and exciting.
Mohwasa says successive parliamentarians have failed to solve perennial problems dogging the mining town.
He says since the closure of textile firms seven years ago, the government has failed to tap into the expertise of the workers who lost their jobs. In Mohwasa's view, workers who were trained in the textile industry should be utilised.
Mohwasa's priority is to see the resuscitation of Selebi-Phikwe's economy and he believes that there are numerous ways to achieve this.
He said there should be effective linkages with areas such as Maputo and Polokwane, which would attract investors to Selebi-Phikwe. He said the mining town could be a gateway to the Tuli Block, which offers abundant opportunities for agricultural growth as a tourist destination.
He believes Selebi Phikwe is isolated demanding a centre-periphery development approach to ensure that outlying areas are also developed.
He said the town's economy could be diversified through copper and nickel related industries like the manufacturing of copper cables.
"Tourism can also play a significant role in the development of the town. We have areas like Maun that have mostly relied on this industry," Mohwasa said.
He added that there was need to improve the town and road network systems.
The parliamentary hopeful said the Selebi Phikwe airport should be upgraded to attract air traffic to the town.
He said some initiatives do not need the intervention of the government.
"We must inspire and spur people into action. That is what leadership is all about. We must not leave people to bring change on their own, that would be failed leadership," Mohwasa said.
He said previous diversification efforts have failed because they were not people driven. Mohwasa said what is crucial is the will of the leadership.
He said the welfare of BCL workers should be carefully looked into. Mohwasa called on the mine management to ensure that the workers are properly remunerated because there was a time when metal prices were depressed and the company paid below market rates.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 Mmegi/The Reporter. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
