28 Aug 2016

Limpopo health member of executive committee (MEC), Dr Poppy Ramathuba says the African National Congress (ANC) in South Africa can borrow a leaf from the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) on how to prepare for elections.

Giving a keynote address and solidarity message at the Bobonong constituency women’s empowerment workshop in Bobonong on Saturday, Dr Ramathuba said he was pleased to find the BDP making early preparations for the next general elections.

That, she said, was a lesson that she would have to pass onto her compatriots in South Africa on how to prepare for elections to beat the opposition.  

Dr Ramathuba stated that recently, South Africa held hotly contested municipal elections and the lessons derived were that campaigning and preparation must start early.

She said ANC’s loss of some municipalities was painful.

However, she described the moment as a learning curve to her party.

On women, she said they played a critical role in the society and needed to be empowered.

She added that women also needed to empower themselves by supporting one another for the betterment of the society.

Dr Ramathuba said women must also be accorded the same opportunities as their male counterparts so that they did not lag behind in the society.

“We must strive for equality for both genders because women take pride when people were happy”, she stated.

Furthermore, she stated that both ANC and BDP would work in unison for the betterment of women in their countries, adding in 1954, women in South Africa marched to Union Building to demand their rights and appealed for political eagerness on the part of women.

Traditionally, she said women had never lacked behind in decision making but only did that respecting their husbands and those in authority.

Dr Ramathuba added that the main challenges facing people in the two countries were poverty, inequality between the rich and poor and unemployment, the challenge which women must stand up against and contribute meaningfully to the society and economy through establishment of sustainable businesses to support the economy. Thus, she appealed to women to always support those in positions of power so that they succeeded.

Another speaker, Mr Kavis Kario encouraged democrats to desist from a tendency of thinking that the party belonged to those voted into positions but must take responsibility and ensure its growth.

Mr Kario, who is a member of BDP’s political education and elections committee, said the party was in a business of recruiting new members.

Party members, he added, must acquaint themselves with the party mandate, manifesto and as such defend the party against opposition accusations.

Earlier, the women’s wing chairperson in Bobonong, Ms Betty Kgathi said the constituency had set targets to continue to grow the party in the area.

Ms Kgathi said they had lined up a series of activities including fundraising, litter picking to increase their visibility in the area. ENDS