04 Apr 2022

The residents of Bophirima ward at Gaborone’s  Bonnington South have been beseeched to rally behind the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) candidate, Ms Mankie Sekete to achieve the party’s desired result of replacing the current government.

Ms Sekete is among the three candidates vying for the vacant council seat that will be contested for on April 9.

Launching Ms Sekete on Sunday, UDC Chairperson and Botswana People’s Party President, Mr Motlatsi Molapisi appealed to the residents of Bophirima to help the UDC realise its dream of changing the leadership.  

“We kindly ask you to vote for Ms Sekete. We trust that you will take her to council. 

You are the agents of change. You hold the power to your desired future and that can only be achieved through a vote,” said Mr Molapisi.

Mr Molapisi said UDC was a project that was established solely to bring change to the political landscape.

Therefore, Mr Molapisi appealed to the residents of Bophirima ward and the nation as a whole to work hard and help the UDC achieve the desired results. 

In addition, Mr Molapisi said unemployment, shortage of land, inflation and challenges in accessing basic amenities were some of the pertinent challenges that the UDC was designed to address amicably.

He said utterances alone would not result in change, therefore urging members of the UDC to act through a vote in order to see change.

Mr Molapisi also acknowledged that there were challenges that besiege opposition unity.

As such, he appealed to members of the UDC to desist from bad mouthing fellow opposition members that formed part of the project.

“As opposition parties we need one another and we continue to engage one another in our quest to establish a new government,” said Mr Molapisi.

One of the speakers at the launch, Mr Samson Guma of the Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) said the UDC would not engage in dirty political games, but rather focus on encouraging the community of Bophirima ward to vote for their candidate.

“All we appeal for is a vote for the UDC candidate. 

What we want to achieve in 2024 must start now,” said Mr Guma. 

Mr Guma said a dedicated leader must go through trials to achieve the desired results at the end. 

“Despite the challenging circumstances that prevail, Ms Sekete will persevere and win the by-election,” said Guma.

He emphasised that the people of Bophirima ward must be represented by someone who had their interests at heart.

“Do not fear. 

Fear is the greatest enemy. 

Therefore make your decision to vote Ms Sekete without fear,” said Mr Guma.  

Acknowledging the assignment to represent the UDC at the April 9 Bophirima ward by-election, Ms Sekete pleaded with the community for a vote as she believed to be the rightful candidate to serve them better.

She promised to diligently serve the interests of the community.

Among other burning issues, Ms Sekete said the ward had a poor road network, which was prone to flooding during the rainy season.

Ms Sekete, a former councillor for the ward, said the community was dominated by people who made ends meet through small businesses, therefore as someone who had the interests of Small Medium and Macro Enterprises (SMME) at heart, she deserved an opportunity to represent them at the council.

She said some of the issues close to her heart were upgrading of the Gaborone bus rank and issues affecting SMMEs at the location, who were often mishandled by law enforcement officers accusing them of encroaching into other people’s land. 

She said such issues needed someone of her caliber to tackle them.

Bophirima ward council seat fell vacant following the death of Mr Kagiso Mongwaketse of BDP in December last year. BOPA