Tsogwane reconciles Masimolole, BDP
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Vice President Slumber Tsogwane, who is also the Chairperson of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), has coaxed the former Mogoditshane legislator Patrick Masimolole, to bury the hatchet and not sue the party.
Masimolole, who controversially lost twice in the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) primary elections, met with the party leadership this week in the constituency in a meeting aimed at him (Masimolole) and the party smoking a peace pipe. Since 2017, Masimolole and the BDP-which he represented for ten years in parliament-have reached a low ebb, citing primary elections irregularities. From the meeting which was very ‘fruitful’ according to informants, it was agreed that Masimolole will endorse the party’s candidate ‘Tumiso Chillyboy’ Rakgare in Mogoditshane. In a closely contested election in 2014, Masimolole lost the constituency to Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC)’s Sedirwa Kgoroba (now Alliance for Progressive). Kgoroba garnered 4 180, while Rakgare of the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) came second with 3 846, and Masimolole was last with 3 787.
The BDP believes if the two (Rakgare & Masimolole) were to combine numbers, they could land themselves a constituency they desperately need in October, hence Tsogwane pulled up his socks for the meeting to materialize. The Tuesday meeting follows a series of attempts by the party to meet with Masimolole, who was seeking redress at the courts of law. “Yes we had a collegial meeting and Masimolole showed that he will support Rakgare and I can confirm that we are pulling together. Rakgare was also present at the meeting. I can also confirm that we don’t have any case with him at the courts,” BDP Executive Secretary Ame Makoba said in an interview, refusing to shed more light on who attended the evening setting. It is said the meeting was attended by some of the Tsholetsa House bigwigs including party Secretary General Mpho Balopi.
Masimolole, lost in BDP primary elections during the time Tshepang Mabaila was suspended last year, when he was battling it out with Tumiso ‘Chillyboy’ Rakgare. He got 462 votes while Rakgare got 619. In court documents filed through attorneys Monthe Marumo and Company earlier this year, Masimolole said the primary elections were held in an unfair manner.According to his lawyers, the election roll that was used for the primary elections was tempered with and in fact there were two different voter rolls. The BDP rolls closed on or before June 2017. The roll used for the conduct of primary elections was not the one which was closed on or before June 2017. It contained some names of well-known Botswana Congress Party (BCP) activists including, Phagenyana Phage, this is according to the lawyers papers.
But this is now water under the bridge following the meeting this week. “Yes we met but for now I can’t say anything much, except to tell you that the relationship has improved and Masimolole will now support us in the constituency. We need him in the area because he has been there and he has numbers and secondly we need his goodwill and we are glad he is back,” Rakgare said in an interview regarding this matter. For his side Masimolole when contacted on Wednesday evening about the reconciliatory meeting he declined to comment further. “You can talk to VP’s office that is what we have agreed on; that he will speak since he is the chairman of the party, but yes there was a meeting. If VP gives you a greenlight to engage me then it is okay,” he said through a telephone call. Tsogwane could not be reached for comment, as the call was not going through.
Furthermore, Masimolole, while dragging the party to court also argued that the winning candidate, Rakgare was not even in the voters’ roll for the BDP at the cut-off date of June 2017. “As a candidate, our client was not given a copy of the voters’ roll when clearly as an interested party, he ought to have had one for verification purposes. In consequence, in the three wards, the voters’ roll had a substantial number of BCP member names, who registered subsequent to June 30th 2017, in particular Nkoyaphiri, Ledumadumane West and Mogoditshane Central,” says Masimolole through his lawyers.
This week the BDP in Mogoditshane welcomed to their fold four council members from BCP; Tebogo Seleka, Boniface Motingwa, Pinki Mmesi and David Segone. These have left the party licking lips for the constituency and believe that after-all they might take the constituency. Overall from the last elections, the BDP has taken seven out of 10 BCP council candidates from 2014 elections.
BDP SETS STANDARD FOR CANDIDATES
Meanwhile, the party has issued a communique to all branch secretaries, regional secretaries, as well as parliamentary candidates, that they should up their game regarding their launches. “The parliamentary candidate is expected to forward their profile detailing their community and political involvement together with issues that they would like the guest speaker to touch on. This should be done by Tuesday of the week of the launch,” read the letter. It is said this stance by the party emanates from a number of launches that were not well coordinated which irks the party leadership. “You are expected to provide two mobile toilets to be placed at the venue. Inform the District Commissioner and the Police Chief about the VP and HE’s presence in the area. The choice of MC should be a seasoned politician who should understand the party and the protocols.”
The letter signed by the party Secretary General Mpho Balopi, also ordered that a member of Communications and International Relations Sub Committee and a Secretariat officer, were deployed to the region to coordinate with the MP candidate and the Branch Secretary. The party will continue to launch their parliamentary candidate as they prepare for the general elections scheduled for October.
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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.