With Botswana’s general elections looming just weeks away, discontent is brewing within the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP). Insiders are attributing the party’s potential loss of two pivotal constituenciesβGoodhope-Mmathete and Gamaleteβto President Mokgweetsi Masisi’s alleged missteps.
The apprehension is that Masisi’s actions may have inadvertently favored the opposition, thereby imperiling the BDPβs hold on regions critical for retaining power this October. As the Central Region no longer serves as the party’s bastion, the South has emerged as its reliable stronghold.
Internal Strife in Goodhope-Mmathete
The BDP finds itself ensnared in internal conflict within the Goodhope-Mmathete constituency following the suspension of Health Minister Dr. Edwin Dikoloti, who had emerged victorious in the partyβs primary elections in July. However, the results were contested by Finance Minister and Womenβs Wing Chairperson, Peggy Serame, who cited irregularities. Despite the dismissal of numerous appeals from other candidates in various constituencies, Serame’s appeal was uniquely upheld by the Central Committee, resulting in her replacement of Dikoloti as the party’s candidate.
This decision has sparked intense controversy, fracturing the constituency. Party sources allege that Masisi was resolute in ensuring Serame’s candidacy, despite grassroots support for Dikoloti. An emergency Central Committee meeting was convened last week to persuade Dikoloti to step down voluntarily, but he boycotted the meeting after reportedly learning that the leadership intended to expel him from the party.
When Dikoloti refused to capitulate, the BDP’s Central Committee confirmed Serame as the official candidate, prompting Masisi to suspend Dikoloti for 60 days. This move evoked memories of the 2009 suspension of Gomolemo Motswaledi, which precipitated the loss of the Gaborone Central constituency due to protest votes.
βWe may suffer the same fate in Goodhope-Mmathete,β remarked one insider. βThereβs a risk of protest votes against Serame, and this is a constituency that we cannot afford to lose. The opposition has already won it twice in the last decade, and we need to retain it.β
The Gamalete Land Dispute and Its Political Repercussions
In Gamalete, another critical southern constituency, President Masisiβs involvement in a contentious land dispute has ignited further controversy. The government’s attempt to transfer ownership of the Forest Hill 9-KO landβtraditionally belonging to the Bamalete tribeβto the Land Board was met with vigorous resistance from the tribe. Kgosi Mosadi Seboko, the Bamalete chief, accused President Masisi of attempting to manipulate the court process for political gain, alleging that he offered to return the land to the tribe after the court ruling.
This revelation has severely tarnished the political standing of Lefoko Moagi, the area’s Member of Parliament (MP) and Minister of Minerals and Energy, who facilitated the meeting between the President and Kgosi Mosadi. Moagi, already perceived as siding with the government in the contentious land dispute, lost his re-election bid in the BDPβs primary elections, with many attributing his defeat to the fallout from the land issue. The tribe felt betrayed, and this sentiment has jeopardized the BDP’s chances of retaining the Gamalete constituency, which the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) previously held in 2014.
βThere was poor judgment in Masisiβs handling of the land dispute and the way the government treated Kgosi Mosadi afterward,β commented another insider. βThis is a constituency we have effectively handed to the opposition.β
In 2019, the BDP performed better in the South, and any loss now could be detrimental to its national bid for power in October. The party faces the real possibility of losing these constituencies to the opposition, a development that could prove costly as the BDP aims to secure another term in office.