29 Apr 2024

The Botswana National Front (BNF) has postponed the announcement of the results of the Molepolole North parliamentary primary elections, citing technical issues in two wards. 

In an interview, the Returning Officer for the elections, Mr Israel Seitshiro, confirmed the delay, stating that the elections in these two wards were not completed due to technicalities that arose during the process. 

“The delay in announcing the results was caused by complications in two specific wards, Bokaa and Mankgwenyane,” stated Mr Seitshiro. 

In the case of Bokaa ward, he said BNF members were unable to cast their votes at Bokaa Primary School, which was designated as the polling station for this ward. 

The school could not be secured in time for the election, rendering the venue unusable. 

Meanwhile, in the Mankgwenyane ward, voting had to be halted at Kealeboga Primary School polling station after disruptions from council candidates.

 The candidates alleged that some voters’ names were missing from the voters’ roll, leading to a commotion that disrupted the voting process. In light of this situation, they decided to halt the election and closed the polling station at 9pm. 

However, Mr Seitshiro stated that the BNF election team would consult with the party leadership to find a suitable solution for the two wards. 

Seitshiro noted that the party leadership would evaluate the information provided by the election team and make a decision on how to proceed with the electoral process in the two wards. 

He further emphasised the importance of maintaining a fair and transparent election for all the BNF members and addressing any issues that might compromise the integrity of the process. 

Despite the complications in Bokaa and Mankgwenyane wards, Mr Seitshiro stated that elections went smoothly in the other five wards. Mr Seitshiro attributed the late opening of polling stations in all the wards to the delay in the distribution of election materials to constituencies. 

Further, Mr Seitshiro explained that in Mahetlwe ward, the start of voting was significantly delayed due to a printing error on the ballot papers. He explained that the initial ballot papers contained incorrect names of the candidates, which led to the need for new, corrected ballot papers to be produced and distributed. 

“This caused a significant delay in the start of voting in Mahetlwe, and we regret any inconvenience caused to voters in that area,” he said. 

Mr Seitshiro highlighted that voting in the other wards allocated to the BNF went smoothly, with only Mahetlwe experiencing a delay due to the printing error on the ballot papers. He also confirmed that two wards, Borakalalo and Hatsalatladi/Mogonono, did not hold council elections as the candidates were unopposed. 

Additionally, primaries for four other wards in the constituency were not held as they have been allocated to other parties within the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC). Mr Seitshiro provided further information on the allocation of council wards in the Molepolole North constituency as follows; Boswelakoko, Boribamo West and Ntlooelengwae have been allocated to the Alliance for Progresives (AP) while St Paul has been allocated to the Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF). 

The BNF held its primary elections on Saturday  April 27 to select the party’s parliamentary and council candidates for the upcoming national elections. Ends