Serowe is now Opposition stronghold
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Opposition politics have shifted from the capital Gaborone to the capital of the central district, Serowe. Former President Lt Gen Dr Ian Khama used his influence as paramount chief of Bangwato to lure voters from the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) in the central district. The BDP lost in Serowe for the first time in history this week.
Bangwato had vowed to follow Khama wherever he goes in his political trajectory after he accused President Masisi of destroying his legacy and not treating him well. However the move by Khama also came back to haunt the opposition which he had professed to supporting in the south based constituencies. The cold war been Khama and his successor forced him to form the Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) which snatched three Serowe constituencies from the BDP after Wednesday’s elections.
In Serowe West constituency, Tshekedi Khama garnered 4394 votes, followed by BDP parliamentary candidate, Moemedi Dijeng who scooped 2405 votes, followed by Rolent Kambule of the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) with 749 votes; while Leremela Bogosing of Alliance for progressives (AP) managed 387 votes. In Serowe North constituency, the BPF parliamentary candidate, Baratiwa Mathoothe garnered 5394 votes, followed by Kgotla Autlwetse from the BDP with 4356 votes, while the UDC parliamentary candidate, Keaobaka Kgano was voted by 1656 people; independent candidate Ndelu Seretse trailed with 926 votes.
In Serowe South constituency, the BPF parliamentary candidate garnered 4 653 votes, while Lesedi Phuthego of the BDP came second with 4237 votes. Moremi Mareka of the UDC was voted by 2 362 people, followed by AP candidate, Iphemele Kgogkothwane with 393 votes, Prince Moitoi of the BMD with 234. Independent candidates, Oteng Thankane and Ian Khumo got 33 and 247 votes respectively. BPF won four council seats in Serowe West constituency – that is in Serokolwane, Kgosing, Dimajwe and Palamaukuwe wards – and the BDP won 2 council seats in Mmashoro and Malatswai wards.
Three weeks ago Tshekedi Khama dropped a political bomb shell and dumped his father’s party, to join his elder brother, former president Ian Khama at the BPF. BDP candidate, Moemedi Dijeng came late in to the race to save his party. The time factor worked against him because the constituency is vast. Furthermore, since he was facing a member of the Ngwato royal family some viewed him as being rebellious and disrespectful to their chieftainship. He was joining a campaign that has already been soiled because former president Ian Khama had thoroughly de-campaigned the BDP.
Dijeng is the son of a former councillor and council chairman in the same constituency who served at the time Blackbeard was Member of Parliament. Dijeng has also challenged for the chairpersonship of the BDP at the Mmadinare elective congress though not well known within the party; he came third with 69 votes. The contest was history in the making as the constituency has always been the reserve for the BDP and Ngwato Royals for the past 53 years. Tshekedi is the first opposition Member of Parliament to win the constituency and Dijeng is the first BDP parliamentary candidate to lose the constituency.
The first MP for Serowe West constituency was the late Sir Seretse Khama, the founding president and also Tshekedi’s father who handed over to Collen Blackbeard, who later handed it over to Ian Khama who in 2008 handed to his younger brother Tshekedi Khama.
Tshekedi has been MP of the constituency since 2008. Gomolemo Motswaledi by then was advised not to challenge Tshekedi in the primaries. In 2009 general elections, Tshekedi garnered 1,869 votes while Botswana National Front (BNF)’s Gagolepe Nthebolang got 119 votes.
Fast forward to 2013, Tshekedi was infuriated when Prince Kgwaneng challenged him in the BDP primaries. He called on the BDP to suspend him on allegations of flouting party rules and regulations. However he sailed through in the primaries garnering 3 081 votes against Kgwaneng. Last year Tshekedi was at it again, suing BDP Central Committee for allowing Dijeng to contest in the primary elections despite the fact that he had been disqualified during the vetting process by the branch committee. Tshekedi lost the case where many felt he will bolt out of the BDP but stayed put. In the primaries Tshekedi won again with 2 , 797 votes while Dijeng managed 1, 594 votes. Rakhudu was distant third with 462 votes.
Tshekedi has been accused by his constituents of neglecting them. Khama had to assist him during BDP primary elections campaigns in some instances. Residents of Dimajwe, Mmashoro, Malatswai complained that Tshekedi doesn’t visit their areas and is less concerned about their welfare. The same concerns were again raised ahead of the 2014 general elections where Khama assured residents that Tshekedi will start consulting them.
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Malawi appeals for help over Cyclone Freddy at PAP
As of yesterday evening, the death toll from the Cyclone in Malawi had risen from the initially reported 190 to 225 in a short period of time, over 20 000 people have been displaced, and the worst of fears are yet to come as the fatalities continue to mount. This was reported by a Malawi Member of Parliament attending the Pan African Parliament session in Midrand, South Africa, Hon Steven Mikiya.
Mikiya was giving a statement on behalf of Malawi as the ongoing Pan African Parliament in South Africa.
Mikiya said the Cyclone has wreaked the most havoc in our country’s Southern Region. “The Southern Region, has been hardest hit with widespread heavy rains and strong winds. This caused a rapid rise in water levels and subsequent flooding. Meanwhile, power supply has been disrupted, roads blocked off and rendered impassable and mudslides have also been widely reported,” he said.
He made a special appeal to the PAP: “Where I come from, there is a parable which I would like to share with you which says, “mzako weniweni umamudziwa panthawi ya mavuto.” Simply put, a friend in need is a friend indeed or put loosely, a person who helps at a difficult time is a friend you can rely on.”
Mikiya continued: “Yes! Misfortune has knocked on our door and left in its wake a trail of death and destruction that may take years to fully recover from. However, amidst these difficulties, I have every reason to believe that sometimes when you are in a dark place and think you have been buried, you have actually been planted. My belief, Mr. President, arises out of my faith in this gathering and out of the conviction that it is not coincidental that Cyclone Freddy hit Malawi and Mozambique while the delegations of both countries are here.”
According to Mikiya, the level of destruction, the loss of life, property and the decimation of the entire fabric of established communities has been unprecedented. He noted that all this, is coming at a time when Malawi was starting to show signs of recovery from the deadly COVID-19 pandemic that also came hard on the heels of Cyclone Ana and Cyclone Gombe that left a similar trail of devastation and destruction in Malawi and neighbouring countries.
As of Sunday, this week, from the 12th of March, Malawi and Mozambique have been facing the devastating effects of Cyclone Freddy that made a landfall over Mozambique on Saturday the 11th and reached Malawi by Sunday the 12th of March.
The Malawi legislator said he has absolute faith in the Pan African Parliament, which he described as “a league of nations brought together by a shared ancestry, history, identity as well as our beloved continent which we inhabit”.
Meanwhile, Malawi President, Lazarus Chakwera, has declared a State of Disaster in the affected areas effectively appealing for local and international support for the affected families.
Mikiya appealed to the Pan African Parliament drawing “positive” inspiration from Europe which rallied around Turkey after the destructive earthquakes to bring the much-needed relief and humanitarian aid to the people of Turkey.
He said Africa should demonstrate to the world that the African Union and its Organs are not mere talk shows, but effective institutions which stand up when it matters most.
“Alone, it may take us a lifetime to fully recover, but together, in the Pan-Africanist spirit of Ubuntu, our lives and livelihoods will return to a semblance of normality in record time. This is the time to live by our operative mantra, “One Africa, One Voice.” Mikiya concluded.