Lekopanye Mooketsi
3 July 2009
The Botswana National Front (BNF) has only two confirmed parliamentary candidates in Gaborone following the expulsion of the MP for Gaborone West South, Robert Molefhabangwe this week.
The capital city with five seats is a BNF stronghold. The BNF first took Gaborone when it only had two constituencies - Gaborone South and North - in 1984. The subsequent delimitation exercise has since delimitated Gaborone into five constituencies but this to date has done little to dilute BNF's influence. But the party faces a major test of strength in the city in this year's general elections because of internal bickering. So far, the only confirmed BNF parliamentary candidates are in Gaborone West North and Gaborone Central.
In Gaborone West North, the party will be fielding Maemo Bantsi who beat the party president, Otsweletse Moupo in the primaries. The BNF grabbed the new constituency in 2004 and repeated the feat again in the by-election caused by the death of their MP, Paul Rantao in 2005.
Another confirmed BNF parliamentary candidate is Kagiso Thutlwa of Gaborone Central.
But it seems the battle for Gaborone Central will be between the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) and the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) which is holding the constituency.
The BNF does not seem to stand a chance in the constituency, which it last won in 1999. Their candidate is also a political novice.
In Gaborone North, the party is still to decide on a candidate or call for primary elections. There is a dispute between former youth leader Gabriel Kanjanbanga who wants to be declared the legitimate candidate and Lemogang Ntime, the party favourite.
Kanjabanga who has taken the party to court, wants Ntime to be disqualified from contesting the primary elections in Gaborone North. He claims that Ntime failed to meet certain requirements for primary elections.
In 2004, the BNF lost the seat after it barred the then MP, Michael Mzwinila from contesting. This paved the way for the BDP to grab the seat it last won in 1989.
In Gaborone South, Akanyang Magama defeated Gaborone lawyer Tebogo Sebego in the primary elections but the party ordered a re-run. Magama petitioned the High Court which ruled that he is the legitimate candidate and the party should not call for a re-run.But the BNF is not yet convinced and Magama has since been suspended by the party. There is a likelihood that the BNF will field another candidate while he is still under suspension. There is fear that this might cost the BNF the Gaborone South constituency.
In Gaborone West South, the BNF must call primary elections again if Molefhabangwe's dismissal from the party is not reviewed. All this means that the party might lose control of the city.
University of Botswana, political scientist, Dr Zibani Maundeni said it is unfortunate that the BNF has not confirmed candidates in certain constituencies in Gaborone. He said this might work against the party. He said the BNF should have resolved outstanding issues a long time ago. Maundeni said the electorate do not want to be taken by surprise. That means candidates should not be introduced at the eleventh hour. The electorate want a candidate whom they have been relating with for a long time, he added.
The UB political analyst said due to the crisis, the BNF might fail to recapture the Gaborone constituencies. "Gaborone is not necessarily their stronghold anymore. Competition is very high," he said.
Maundeni warned that the Gaborone constituencies have become marginal. He said any of the three parties contesting for the Gaborone constituencies could win.
It is not only in Gaborone where the BNF is facing trouble. In Lobatse the party has expelled their MP, Nehemiah Modubule and replaced him with Otladisa Koosaletse.
Koosaletse was defeated by Modubule in the primary elections.
Modubule is likely to contest the elections as an independent candidate and split the BNF vote. This might prove costly and the beneficiary will be Moggie Mbaakanyi of the BDP.
The BNF stands to lose the seat because Modubule is very popular in the area and might just win it.
The BNF has won the Lobatse constituency since the 1994 general elections. In Mogoditshane the BNF has disregarded the voice of the people and slapped their man with a suspension.
The party has suspended Charles Charles who defeated Mokgweetsi Kgosipula in the primary elections.
The BNF says that Kgosipula is their candidate but his chances of a win are slim.
Kgosipula won the seat in 1994 for the BNF but since then, his fortunes and that of the party have severely dwindled with BDP winning the constituency twice in 1999 and 2004.
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