Mmegi/The Reporter (Gaborone)
Onalenna Modikwa
10 July 2009
Selebi-Phikwe — It does not need any seer or prophet to predict the outcome of the Mmadinare constituency elections in October. It is one of the most highly predictable constituencies in that it still remains loyal to its tradition of voting the ruling party into power.
Though the opposition parties have been trying their luck for sometimes now, the ruling party seems to have deeply rooted itself beyond the opposition's ability to win the constituency. The trend has been that in most instances the opposition tries their luck only during by-elections while they did not contest during the general elections. This has been evidenced by the 2006 by-elections in Sefhophe where Botswana National Front (BNF) tried their luck, only after the death of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) councillor, Seabe Morueng. Again the two parties entered the race for the 2007 Mogapinyana by-elections after the death of BDP councillor Kgosietsile Molemi though he stood unopposed in the 2004 general elections.
The trend also repeated itself during last year's Mmadinare South-West Council by-elections after the death of councillor John Mooketsi, who initially romped to victory unchallenged in the previous by-elections. These scavenging trends by the opposition have taken place despite all the odds being stacked heavily against them. However both the Botswana National Front and the Botswana Congress Party have been eager to make lasting impressions as the fight for political leverage heats up. The constituency has been seriously attacked by a spell of by-elections as compared to other constituencies however the ruling party has managed to stand the test of time to retain the wards.
Mmadinare constituency is one of the sprawling constituencies, covering 11 villages stretching from Tswapong villages of Tamasane, Diloro, Kgagodi up to Robelela and Foley.
Many of the villages are rural but traces of government services and developments are visible in most of the villages. Residents still lead a traditional way of live and have clung firmly on farming and rearing activities though a migration to urban areas cannot be ruled out especially among the youth in search for greener pastures. The constituency is split from Tswapong North by the main road to Palapye that branches away from the Selebi-Phikwe Martins Drift road near Kgagodi. Entering Kgagodi and Tamasane one is greeted by traditional homesteads with of course, undeveloped but fenced plots and scores of modern houses. But along the road one is taken back to the old days of masimo life by a glimpse of old men seated under trees or tending livestock or even rounding them up to the kraals. The funny thing about these herders is that they would be carrying a long stick behind their necks as is to leverage the neck from the heavy weight of the head and then bend a bit forward. Noises of donkey carts and women shouting instructions to their children or even engaging in conversations with neighbours fill the air in the villages.
Not forgetting the drinking spots where crown of people would be visible sitting in circles that continue to readily expand as the conversation heats up and the noises from clinics where people usually gather in large numbers or in primary schools when students will be reading behind their teachers.
The interesting thing about the Tswapong villages in Mmadinare constituency is that they are very close to each other as if they feel torn away from their fellow Tswapong villages and are shy to join up with others. It is just a walking distance from Tamasane to Kgagodi, Diloro and Mogapinyana and they share major services like Tribal Administration and even the junior school, Kgatadimo. The name is derived from the first two letters of each village, the thing that confirms the relations of the said villages. Politically the residents of the villages still remain loyal to the ruling party though there had been a penetration of the opposition in their territory as evidenced during the Mogapinyana by-elections. Because of the elections there was a serious inflow of people into the villages a thing that saw the tempo of the villages rising beyond expectations. First off the blocks on the campaigns for Mogapinyana ward by-elections was the Botswana Congress Party which wasted no time in launching the campaigns there even before the date of elections was set. Within a month after the death of Councillor Molemi, BCP had already identified a candidate. Though it had not fielded any candidate in the last general elections it sped up its preparations and fielded a female candidate. The party official Nzwaligwa Nzwaligwa then explained that the party did not contest because it was "a bit disorganised" but it has managed to put its house in order.
The BCP was followed by Botswana National Front (BNF) though it did not do much of the groundwork because it was then still involved in the Mmopane by-election but all the campaign machinery was put in place within a week. The ruling party later held a meeting in the village to invite all those wishing to contest to forward their names. Its primary elections were held in August 18 where five candidates contested and it was followed by proper campaigns.
The ruling party however scored a landslide victory over its competitors when the incumbent Freddy Mokokwana garnered 303 of the 399 votes cast. Boitumelo Sekonopi of the BNF walked away with 68 votes while Gaboratanelwe Odisitse of the BCP got 28 votes. The funny thing that was that the two opposition giants appeared to be contesting against each other not against the ruling party as they sarcastically cheered each other. BCP has fielded all the candidates for the wards and parliament while the BNF has already fielded 70 percent of the candidates in the constituency and is hopeful to field the remaining within two weeks.
In Sefhophe ward however, the road is bumpy for the ruling party in that the BCP has been seriously closing the gap for all the time it has participated. Despite that the ward has been a BDP stronghold declining voting numbers continues to haunt the party so much that even the area MP once appealed for a fact finding mission to establish the cause of the trend. The party defended the ward with a margin of 14 votes during the 2004 general elections when Mokwaledi Bagwasi became the runner up fro the late Morueng. The ruling party only managed to increase its winning margin by only 3 votes during the by-elections that pitted Thatayaone Segona against Bagwasi. Prior to the by-elections the BCP tried to challenge the results through a court of law but lost with costs. Despite this members of the ruling party in the sleepy village of Sefhophe are ready for the battle, come October.
An elderly electorate in the village, who identified herself as a staunch supporter of the BDP, Mmankuku Kekgomogetswe, stressed how she will remain a loyal member until she "retires to her grave", "Nna ngwanaka ke mo-domi ebile ga ke phetsoge. Ba kganetso ba letse ba le fa maabane mme ke ba paletse. I am not a chameleon."
She states that she joined the ruling party when politics started in Botswana and said it is where her heart and soul lies. "Ebile kana phathi e e simolotswe ke kgosi yame, Khama." She stressed that she has got a valid membership card and ready to vote and above all she has got no time for new policies of the opposition parties because she is just waiting for her death.
"I never attend rallies because of ill health but I know the opposition poses no threat to us. PHK is old but we are satisfied with his leadership." Mmankuku also accused the BCP for using derogatory statements during its campaigns against the ruling party. It is reported that the BCP candidate is fond of using insulting languages the thing that may even work against hims. Mmankuku said that she only knew opposition parties through Matante's party. "Ebile kana Matante o ne a utlwana le Seretse. Jaanong BCP mo ga rona ke phathi ya bana ba ba senang maitseo ga re kake ra e kgona." She thanked BNF for its clean campaigns as compared to the BCP.
However her son Modiri Kekgomogetswe is a staunch member of the BCP. Modiri used to be a BDP supporter but crossed over to the BCP in 2001, a move he said was influenced by lack of sound leadership in the ruling party. "There are no developments here; we are suffering and I trust that Bagwasi can better articulate our concerns." He said if the BDP was strong enough to be in power then they could not be suffering like this. On the other hand a family of BNF supporters in Sefhophe stated that they will eventually take power.
They said they are on a go-slow but they will pounce unexpectedly. Though they may consider the BCP instead of the ruling they are mostly disgruntled and embarrassed by the BCP insults in the ward. They claim that they are usually held at ransom and disadvantaged to access some employment opportunities because of their party affiliations.At some point the BCP claimed to have welcomed 45 members into the party the majority being new entrants in politics while others were from the ruling party among them Isau Foraga, who challenged nominated councillor Elizabeth Kedikilwe for the council seat in 1999.
In Mmadinare ward electorates are also ready for the battle. Kgomela Ramatshaba is an elderly man but remains resolute in his support for the BDP. Though he did not register he is basking in the glory of the BDP's sterling performance. Ramatshaba said he did not have time to register for elections because his cattlepost is situated in Shashe-mooke and he does not trust herdsmen; so he could not risk abandoning his livestock to go and register. "I have been a BDP member since Lenyeletse Seretse was still alive. Ke monna wa mophato wa malekantwa and not even a single member of opposition can dare come to my house because they see my steps."
He said despite all the supplementary registrations many of them have not managed to vote and he claims that every thing was done swiftly. He said the opposition will fail in the constituency until it surrenders.
Motibiso Pule, a staunch BCP supporter, on the other hand believes that the ruling party has dismally failed them with its "oppressive government".
He said the ruling party works along its tribal lines and the marginalized are pulled down. Pule said they seriously want to get rid of the ruling party in Mmadinare because they are starved of developments. Mmadinare village is considered the services centre of the constituency with the police, senior school and other developments.
The ruling party was unopposed in most wards in the last general elections. Apart from Mogapinyana and Mmadinare South East, the party was also unopposed in Mogapi, and Tamasane but faced the opposition in wards like Kgagodi, Tobane, Mmadinare South West, Mmadinare North West, Mmadinare North East and Sefhophe. In Mmadinare South east ward by-elections last year, BDP continued to prove its dominance in the constituency with the BCP coming second with 61 votes and the BNF driving home only13 votes. BDP continues to dominate villages like Mogapi, Robelela, Foley and Damuchujenaa.
For the parliamentary candidacy, incumbent Ponatshego Kedikilwe had been the area MP around 1984 when Selebi-Phikwe was demarcated from Mmadinare constituency that was led by Kebatlamang Morake. Kedikilwe had proved his mettle since them by putting considerable distance between him and his challengers.
He is one of the longest serving MPs but he undoubtedly gets stronger with age. With Kefentse Mzwinila, who was expected to give Kedikilwe a tough time in the last general elections, having been suspended from the party and ultimately from the race, Kedikilwe was billed for a smooth drive to Parliament. He was challenged by Christopher Motsholapheko of the BCP in the last race but won by 4,158 against Motsholapheko's 1,137.
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