Boko, Saleshando seal UDC+
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The outcome of unity talks between the country’s major opposition parties; Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) and Botswana Congress Party (BCP), which has been awaiting final say from member party presidents, is expected to be announced next week (Monday 23rd) in Gaborone.
WeekendPost has it on good authority that the presidents of the opposition parties in talks, Duma Boko and Dumelang Saleshando are meeting this weekend at an undisclosed place to close the monument agreement. This follows the finalization of the talks by negotiators last year, December.
“Today (Saturday 21st) the party leaders, Boko and Saleshando will meet somewhere specifically to sign and close the deal. When they come back they will announce the decisions they took and final agreement of the negotiations,” an impeccable source closer the talks told this publication.
It is understood that following their meeting they will prepare for a press briefing scheduled for Monday next week to officially announce the outcomes of the talks and present the new party, UDC+. “The aim of the press conference would be to announce that there is an agreement between UDC and BCP, and what that agreement entails. The details of course will come in the course of time,” the source continued. “It is where critical questions will be answered,” he continued.
However, indications suggest that there has been an animosity inside the negotiation teams with BCP dissatisfied with the appointment of Saleshando as Secretary General of the new movement. The move saw the constitution stream at the talks plunge into a deadlock that derailed their agenda and was referred to the main negotiating team and passed to the leaders to “address.”
While the BCP negotiation team was settled with the matter, other party faithful’s on the ground spurn it and easily dismiss it as belittling Saleshando in a way. On the other hand Saleshando is said not to be happy with the arrangement although he is willing to compromise.
“BCP negotiation team at the talks agreed on that, that’s why Saleshando also is fighting to reverse it – he has the power to reverse it as the final say lies with them.”
Although the matter is still being discussed this weekend, this publication has gathered that Boko, his advisors and other structures of the BCP want Saleshando put as a running mate to Boko which in essence is a Vice president position. The BCP is said to be fighting tooth and nail for the position which has also witnessed other names being dropped for the portfolio like that of Ndaba Gaolathe of Botswana Movement for Democracy, which is an affiliate of UDC. Observers believe Gaolathe has never abandoned the umbrella and may do well as a VP looking as his skills and expertise.
The issue is said to have divided the negotiating parties particularly those in the BCP and likewise in the UDC who still did not want to see the cooperation project take off. Some argue the parties may still do well on their individual capacities. It is understood that although the talks have been engulfed by road humps, the BCP, which alone shunned the second lap of the umbrella talks following the collapse of the first towards the 2014 General Elections did not want to be “the bad guy” again this time around.
It is believed that they (BCP) “have learned a lesson the hard way” as they performed miserably at the polls. The source further said to WeekendPost: “If push comes to shove, and knowing Batswana’s aspirations now (of a united opposition), and although the party wants Saleshando as VP and not SG, we do not believe it can make talks collapse.”
In fact he said whether he is “SG or not” the cooperation will be there – and that’s the bottom line. Furthermore, it was said that in case Saleshando does not become the SG, and do away with the position, there may be two Vice Presidents at party level.
“We may have two VP’s with different roles and assignments at the party and in case we win government the president will have the prerogative to choose his only VP in the new government.”
In the UDC+ Motlatsi Molapisi remains the Chairman of the new formation of the opposition parties.The party has a new constitution, practices Social Democracy in outfit and colours are likely to remain as that of the current UDC. The name of BCP will fall out even at the constituencies that they contest. According to the reliable source closer to the development, Boko and Saleshando have had a great relationship during the negotiations.
“Boko has been very good and he has kept his promises that he has made,” he said adding that although a constituency is not a priority for Saleshando, Boko may move further to allocate a constituency for him in Gaborone – Gaborone South most likely. Saleshando lost his former constituency, Gaborone Central in the last General Elections to BMD’s Phenyo Butale who is likely to contest the constituency again based on incumbency as agreed at the talks.
Other issues which have been pending on the talks, touching on constituency allocation, saw Lephepe/Lentsweletau and Lerala/Maunatlala areas both being allocated to BMD of the UDC after independent candidates who came after Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) at the polls defected to the party (BMD). The conclusion of the talks will see ruling BDP coming head to head with one opposition block in the name of the Umbrella for Democratic Change plus (UDC+) in the impending 2019 General Elections.The ground-breaking deal emanating from the talks would be a first timer in the political landscape as well as the history of Botswana politics.
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Local tennis team upbeat ahead of Billie Jean King cup
With almost two weeks until the 2023 Billie Jean King Cup, which will be staged in Kenya from June 12-17, 2023, the Botswana Tennis Association (BTA) ladies’ team coach, Ernest Seleke, is optimistic about reaching greater heights.
Billie Jean King Cup, or the BJK Cup, is a premier international team competition in women’s tennis, launched as the Federation Cup to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the International Tennis Federation (ITF). The BJK Cup is the world’s largest annual women’s international team sports competition in terms of the number of nations that compete.
The finals will feature 12 teams (Botswana, Burundi, Ghana, Kenya, Seychelles, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Tunisia, Mauritius, Zimbabwe, and the Democratic Republic of Congo) competing in the four round-robin groups of three. The four group winners will qualify for the semifinals, and the 2023 Billie Jean King Cup will be crowned after the completion of the knockout phase.
Closer to home, the BW Tennis team is comprised of Thato Madikwe, Leungo Monnayoo, Chelsea Chakanyuka, and Kelebogile Monnayoo. However, according to Seleke, they have not assembled the team yet as some of the players are still engaged.
“At the moment, we are depending on the players and their respective coaches in terms of training. However, I will meet up with Botswana-based players in the coming week, while the United States of America (USA) based player Madikwe will probably meet us in Kenya. Furthermore, Ekua Youri and Naledi Raguin, who are based in Spain and France respectively, will not be joining us as they will be writing their examinations,” said Seleke.
Seleke further highlighted the significance of this competition and how competitive it is. “It is a massive platform for our players to showcase their talent in tennis, and it is very competitive as countries target to get promoted to the world categories where they get to face big nations such as Spain, France, USA, and Italy. Though we are going to this tournament as underdogs because it is our second time participating, I’m confident that the girls will put in a good showing and emerge with results despite the odds,” highlighted Seleke.
Quizzed about their debut performance at the BJK Cup, he said, “I think our performance was fair considering the fact that we were newbies. We came third in our group after losing to North Macedonia and South Africa. We went on to beat Uganda, then Kenya in the playoffs. Unfortunately, we couldn’t play Burundi due to heavy rainfall and settled for the position 9/10,” he said.
For her part, team representative Leungo Monnayoo said they are working hard as they aim to do well at the tourney. “The preparations for the tourney have long begun because we practice each and every day. We want to do well, hence we need to be motivated. Furthermore, I believe in my team as we have set ourselves a big target of coming home with the trophy,” she said.
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Pep Stores donates sanitary towels to Popagano JSS
The Guidance and Counseling unit at Popagano Junior Secondary School received a donation of 790 sanitary towels from Pep stores on Thursday.
When presenting the donation, Mareledi Thebeng, the Dinokaneng Area Manager, highlighted their belief in giving back to the community, as their existence depends on the communities they serve. Thebeng pointed out that research indicates one in four girls miss school every day due to the lack of basic necessities like sanitary towels. Therefore, as a company, they strive to assist in alleviating this situation. She expressed hope that this donation would help ensure uninterrupted learning for girls.
Upon receiving the donation on behalf of the students, Charity Sambire, the President of the Student Representative Council, expressed her gratitude. Sambire specifically thanked Pep Store for their generous gift, speaking on behalf of the students, especially the girl child.
She conveyed their sincere appreciation for Pep Store’s compassion and quoted the adage, “Blessed is the hand that gives.” Sambire expressed the students’ hope for Pep Stores’ prosperity, enabling them to continue supporting the students. As a gesture of gratitude, the students pledged to excel academically.
During her speech, Motlalepula Madome, the Senior Teacher in Guidance and Counseling, highlighted that many students at the school come from disadvantaged backgrounds where parents struggle to provide basic necessities. Consequently, some students miss school when they experience menstruation due to this lack.
Madome emphasized the significance of the donation in preventing the girl child from missing lessons and its potential to improve the school’s overall results. She expressed the school’s gratitude and expressed a desire for continued support from Pep Stores.
Popagano Junior Secondary School, situated in the Okavango District, holds the second position academically in the North West region. Despite its location, the school has been dedicated to achieving excellence since 2017
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Botswana misses out critical PAP committee meeting
The Pan African Parliament (PAP) committee on gender, family, youth and people with disability in its sitting considered, adopted and recommended to the plenary session the preliminary report on the framework for the model law on gender equality.
According to the last week’s media release from PAP which is sitting with its various committees until June 2nd, the committee is following up the PAP initiative to draw up a model law on gender equality to enable national governments to harmonize, modernize and standardize their legislations to address local needs is set to be discussed in Plenary.
However, what is concerning is the fact that Botswana which is a member state missed the deliberations. Kgosi Mosadi Seboko who sat in the committee representing Botswana has since been ejected by parliament and this is a huge blow for a nation that is still battling equity and gender balance.
“Although PAP has no legislative powers it makes model laws for member states to adopt. PAP also develops protocols to be ratified by countries. The input of countries at Committee state is extremely critical. It now means the voice of Botswana is missing the discussions leading up to development of protocols or model laws,” said one of Botswana’s representative at PAP Dr. Kesitegile Gobotswang who is attending the current session.
While Botswana is missing, the committee meeting took place on the sidelines of the Sixth PAP second ordinary Session being held under the African Union Theme of the Year for 2023, “The Year of AfCFTA: Accelerating the Implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area” in Midrand, South Africa and will run up to 2 June 2023. Chairperson of the Committee, Hon Mariam Dao-Gabala expressed satisfaction with preliminary processes undertaken so far towards the formulation of the Model Law,” a release from the PAP website reads.
“The law should be suitable to all countries whatever the predominant culture or religion is. The aim is to give an opportunity to women to participate in the economic, political and social development of the continent. Women are not well positioned and face a lot of obstacles. We are introducing the idea of equity in the Law because we cannot talk about equality without equity,” said Hon Mariam Dao-Gabala in the press statement.
The release has stated that among issues to be covered by the Model Law is the migratory movements of women. The Committee proffered that this has to be addressed at the continental level to ensure that migrant women enjoy all their rights and live with dignity in their destination country. The members of the Gender Committee undertook consultations to consolidate the contributions of the various stakeholders that will be the logical framework format for the Model Law.