Barolong Chiefs dilemma
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Lotlamoreng not sure whether to contest or not
Kgosi Lotlamoreng II of Barolong has said the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) has not approached him in regard the prospect of him representing the party in a bye-election following a vacancy created by the resignation of James Mathokgwane as Member of Parliament for Goodhope-Mabule.
Lotlamoreng is expected to address a kgotla meeting in Goodhope on Tuesday where he will clarify his standing as far as political party politics is concerned. “It is not true that I will represent the UDC in the coming bye-election. In fact I have not been approached by anyone from the UDC or any other political party,” he said.
Should the Barolong kgosikgolo decide to represent the UDC or any other political party, he will most likely to throw the Barolong bogosi into some dilemma. Traditional pundits in the area intimate that the fact that he has no direct heir complicates matters for the royal family. “It is very likely that the chieftainship of the Barolong will now go outside the Montshioa lineage,” said an elder in Goodhope.
At the Tuesday meeting, sentiments to be expressed by the chief are expected to echo the outcome of a consultation process that has been done with other magosi from around the twenty or so villages in the area. Lotlamoreng rules over a wide area which is made of small and big villages, and there is also a twist in his rule over Barolong, villages spanning from Mabule down southeast are under the Bangwaketse chieftainship according to the Tribal Territories Act.
UDC official spokesperson, Moeti Mohwasa made it clear that in terms of party constitution, regulations and culture, when a vacancy opens up for a position of a councillor or MP and the party decides to field a candidate, a writ of election is issued by the Elections Board in consultation with the secretary general.
He said “this allows any member who is willing to be deployed to apply. Thereafter if we have more than one comrade available, primary elections are held.” Mohwasa said it is unfair to start attacking Kgosi Lotlamoreng when he has not declared his intention to run.
Currently the Botswana National Front (BNF), an affiliate of the UDC has two councillors in the Goodhope-Mabule constituency while the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) has eight councillors. Most BDP veterans in the constituency believe that they lost the MP seat because of the Kitso Mokaila factor; hence the race is going to be different this time around.
Lesego Molapo, who has been a BDP councillor for 25 years in the constituency, told Weekend Post that the area remains a BDP stronghold. She was confident that her party will win the bye-election because it has learnt from the 2014 general election loss.
Mr Klass Motingwa, a BNF veteran based in Goodhope urged his party leadership to hasten to get ordinary members in the loop because they are yet to briefed on the developments.
“We only read in the newspapers that the MP has resigned and we are yet to be briefed here in Ramatlabama,” he said. Both veterans from the two opposing corners await keenly Kgosi Lotlamoreng’s final word on talk that he could be a candidate for one of the parties.
For the BDP there are seven people who want contest primary elections. Minister of Presidential Affairs and Public Administration, Eric Molale, who is also a Specially Elected Member of Parliament, is expected to be a strong contender.
Former BDP Youth Wing chairperson, Kenaleone Motsaathebe is contesting as well as a host of former councillors who lost in the 2014 elections. Therefore the BDP only wants to know if Lotlamoreng is in the race to map a campaign strategy against him.
Motingwa interestingly told WeekendPost that there was a group that engaged Freddie Ramodisa to contest for the position. “I heard that a group people had approached him to contest, I am still to hear about the outcome of their interaction,”he said.
Contacted for comment Ramodisa said he will not comment because he has no political party at the moment. Ramodisa was part of the group that defected from the BDP and formed the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD), which is now an affiliate of the UDC.
Before the 2014 general election, he paved way for Mathokgwane of the BNF but was incensed when he was overlooked for council nomination and he contested as an independent candidate and lost. Carlson Teemane of Pitsane is one other BNF stalwart in the area whose name is mentioned by party sympathisers in the area.
While Lotlamoreng will bring a big profile and command audience there could be a backlash from those who have toiled for the BNF for many years in the area without success until messianic Mathokgwane capitalised on BDP frailties.
The Botswana Congress Party (BCP) is yet to make an impact in the constituency, for them, contesting will only just enhance the country’s democratic credentials as usual, BNF and BDP veterans. However they do acknowledge the presence of BCP in Pitsane, Goodhope and Metlojane.
Currently the main subject of the Goodhope-Mabule debate is Kgosi Lotlamoreng, should he take the baton, he may now have to face his demons in Ramatlabama where he is accused of imposing the late Kewagamang Lebelwane as chief despite not being of bogosi lineage.
In Papatlo, the chief is also not popular because of appointing an “outsider” as the village chief. In Goodhope, residents appear to have a gripe with him, should he be the candidate, BNF stalwarts admit that it will not be a roller coaster, “but he is the best we get under the circumstances.” They point out that a strategy should be mapped out on how to win the two Barolong sections, including the one under Bangwaketsi domain.
While the BDP currently has the advantage of sitting councillors, Lotlamoreng must first cultivate the buy-in of his magosi before he can bank on them. As things stand Lotlamoreng has not been apparoched but his Tuesday kgotla meeting has some of the answers.
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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.