Tebelelo Seretse's campaign team is confident ahead of the Central Committee elections in Kanye in a fortnight. They feel they have the numbers required to oust DK from the chairmanship.

But Tebelelo Seretse's campaign team for the BDP Executive Committee elections is oozing confidence ahead of the BDP congress in Kanye in two weeks time.

According to Seretse's campaign team, numbers seem to favour the lightweight as the woman candidate prepares to take on the man popularly known as 'DK' among BDP supporters.

According to one of Seretse's strategists, already they are sure of 17 votes out of a possible 18 votes in the BDP central committee. Except for Kwelagobe, the rest of the 17 Central Committee members are said to have endorsed and assured Seretse of their votes.

The other votes will come from the BDP Youth Wing, where two people will vote. Currently the BDP Youth wing has acting chairman and acting secretary general, both sympathetic to Seretse.

The Womens Wing, will also cast two votes. It is controlled by Seretse, who recently quit as the Womens Wing chairperson to pave way for her colleagues.

Information gathered by the end of the week indicate that of the 57 MPs, Tebelelo's camp claims they are sure about at least 36, but by the start of the day on Saturday, a strategist in Seretse's campaign team based in the Central District said they have won nine bonus constituencies, bringing the total number of constituencies sympathetic to their cause to a remarkable 45, amongst them 17 out of the 18 constituencies in the vast CDC District.

The bonus constituencies that the Seretse campaign team claim to have clinched recently include Mmadinare where it was expected DK will have a stronghold due to ties with long time ally, Ponatshego Kedikilwe, the MP for Mmadinare. A Seretse strategist confided that they have five delegates out of eight in Mmadinare where PHK's activism lately has been questionable.

Other bonus constituencies that Seretse's strategists are celebrating this week include Nata/Gweta, led by new MP candidate, Ray Makosha.

The lightweight's team says they have seven delegates there out of eight. Tswapong North, where the new parliamentary candidate Prince Maele is a staunch Kwelagobe supporter, has also been clinched by the lightweight's team.

Maele will not vote at the congress because he was rejected in his constituency.

Victor Malete, recently suspended and re-admitted into the party, worked miracles for Seretse, and insured a clean sweep at the election for the branch delegates. He has been instead elected to lead the Tswapong North team.

Pono Moathodi, in one of the two Tonota constituencies may be a Kwelagobe supporter but Seretse's strategists say they have secured six delegates there, as well as sweeping the boards in finance Minister Baledzi Gaolathe's area.

Another bonus constituency for Seretse is the two Gaborone West constituencies: Botsalo Ntuane's Gaborone West South, where they believe they have six delegates. The Seretse team also say they are celebrating the support of Robert Masitara's Gaborone West North, where both the MP candidate and seven delegates have been clinched.

Also in Gaborone, the Seretse campaign team is said to have Gaborone South parliamentary candidate, Kagiso Molatlhegi, where the majority of the branch committee delegates are backing the woman candidate's team.

Another surprise support for Seretse has come from unlikely quarters in Keletso Rakhudu of Gaborone North, Slumber Tsogwane of Boteti, Master Goya of Palapye and Duke Lefhoko of Shoshong, Brigadier Moeng Pheto of Lentsweletau, all of whom have been Kedikilwe's sympathisers all along, an excited Tebelelo's strategist broke the news hiding his identity on Saturday.

The strategist says Tsogwane has even invited Seretse's campaign team to come over and appoint the delegates they like this week for the Congress. Duncan Mlazie of Chobe, who was upset with long time friend President Ian Khama after he was dropped from cabinet, is also said to have kissed and made up. He recently sponsored Seretse's campaign team at the tune of P200,000, according to an insider.

Although the likes of Gaolathe (Tonota) and Tawana Moremi (Maun) have not shown their colours, Seretse's campaign team dominate delegates for the congress in their constituencies.

Lefhoko refused to comment when asked to confirm he has switched sides, referring enquiries to 'the party'. Goya said he is not a factionalist, and supports President Ian Khama's efforts to ride the Party of factionalism.

"I support my president, I love him very much. I'm not into factions, I'm new in the Party," Goya said in an interview Tsogwane said he does not belong to any faction. "My constituency is not divided along factional lines".

When asked to confirm if he has invited Seretse's team to oversee the elections for delegates, Tsogwane said that is not his job. "It is the responsibility of the branch committee to invite whoever they like," he said.

Initially, it was believed that Seretse would be supported by northerners, but the Monitor has established that she also has support in Ngwaketse South, where Peter Siele is her supporter.

She encountered a blow in Lobatse last week where Moggi Mbaakanyi, specially elected MP, has switched allegiance after she was dropped from cabinet.

Seretse is also supported by Khama's friend, Kitso Mokaila, in Borolong, where they share delegates for the congress.

Seretse and DK are also square in Ramotswa's delegates, although Odirile Motlhala, the parliamentary candidate is a Tebelelo Seretse supporter. Elijah Katse, of Tlokweng is a Kwelagobe man, but Seretse's camp believe they share the number of delegates for the congress there, as well as in Shoshong, where Philip Makgalemele, DK's brother in law, is the parliamentary candidate.

In Letlhakeng West, Seretse is supported by the MP candidate, Maxwell Motoane, and all the delegates. Kentse Rammidi, a parliamentary candidate for Kanye North is also a sympathiser for Seretse's cause, but the delegates are split there, so is Ngwaketse North, where the parliamentary candidate, Fairbridge Pule, is a Seretse supporter.

Kgalagadi North and South, and the two Gantsi constituencies, conclude Seretse's strength in the southern and western side of the country. All in all, a Seretse preliminary audit shows that she could pull the rug from under the feet of heavyweight, DK, according to her campaign team.