19 Aug 2019

The outgoing Member of Parliament for Mahalapye East, Ms Botlogile Tshireletso has underscored the need for leaders to be humble servants of the people. 

She said the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) was founded on respect and integrity, and that its founders were humble and hardworking foot soldiers, who strongly believed in consultation. 

She was speaking at the launch of the Jwaneng/Mabutsane BDP prospective parliamentary candidate, Mr Mephato Reatile and 13 council hopefuls in Sekoma on August 18. 

Ms Tshireletso implored Mr Reatile and the prospective council candidates to ignore negative campaigns to avoid losing focus. 

“As leaders you are bound to face challenges, but you should not be derailed because your integrity and self-respect reflect on the image of the party,” she said. 

Ms Tshireletso, who is also the Assistant Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, urged constituents to vote for Mr Reatile, saying he was a hardworking individual whose deeds were there for all to see. She said Mr Reatile was at the forefront advocating for settlements such as Itholoke and Kutuku to be upgraded. 

She also noted that he had demonstrated that he had the interest of Batswana at heart as he successfully tabled a motion calling for investigations on the National Petroleum Fund (NPF). Such a move, she said, was indication that he was a trustworthy leader. 

Furthermore, she implored democrats to rally behind President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi by voting BDP candidates into power, for him to continue empowering Batswana and eradicating poverty. 

She said since assuming the Presidency, Dr Masisi had been advocating for bills and policies aimed at improving the lives of Batswana. 

She noted that even though the BDP government had done a lot for the country, there were still challenges such as shortage of infrastructure that needed to be addressed.

Therefore, she said, there was need to vote for people of Mr Reatile’s calibre, who would dedicate their lives to serving Batswana .

Southern District Council chairperson, Mr Alec Seametso called on democrats not to be deceived by the opposition as their manifestos were unrealistic. He said only the BDP deserved to be elected into power because it had vowed to eradicate poverty among Batswana. 

He urged those who attended the rally to vote for Mr Reatile so that, together with the BDP leadership, they could continue offering programmes aimed at uplifting the lives of citizens. 

Mr Seametso said the BDP, under the leadership of President Masisi, continued to uphold the spirit of consultation, which is the basis of democracy.

He therefore said they deserved to be given another chance to lead the nation in a peaceful manner. 

For his part, Mr Reatile promised to be a humble and trusted servant of the people, irrespective of their age. He emphasized the need to vote for both council and parliamentary candidates from the same political party for them to be able to work together to develop the constituency. Ends