26 May 2024

The Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) has launched Mr Ndaba Gaolathe as its parliamentary candidate for Gaborone Bonnington South.

Various speakers at the launch described Mr Gaolathe as a high impact world-class visionary leader, recognised for his calmness and determination to contribute positively to uplifting Batswana’s livelihoods.

Alliance for Progressive’s Vice President, Mr Wynter Mmolotsi, urged Gaborone Bonnington South electorates to vote for Mr Gaolathe in the upcoming general election owing to his good leadership skills that he has demonstrated over the years.

 “Having served as Member of Parliament before, Mr Gaolathe has continually demonstrated a capacity to operate at all levels and has worked amicably with a wide range of institutions across a wide spectrum of sectors and disciplines in the monetary, economics and financial structuring,” he said.

He said Mr Gaolathe served internationally and succeeded in creating long term coalitions with a diverse range of organisational formations across many countries, which thus positioned him as the rightful candidate to represent interests of the residents of Gaborone Bonnington South.

UDC chairperson, Mr Motlatsi Molapisi, highlighted the need for unity within the UDC to claim state power from the ruling party in the next general election.

“We need to stay united as the entire opposition block and be mindful that the UDC is a people’s project and a UDC victory would be a victory for the people,” he said.

He said UDC offers the country a new lease of life as its ideology holds that the country’s democracy must be re-energized to broaden and secure the grounds on which Batswana can make wise choices.

Mr Molapisi said Gaborone Bonnington South was among the less developed and with a number of social ills thus highlighted that the onus was on every resident of the constituency to vote for Mr Gaolathe for him to advocate for the much needed developments.

For his part, Mr Gaolathe said UDC was inspired in its service to the people of Botswana by the principle of social democracy and it believes in the creation of social and economic development for all the citizens.

He said the UDC offered best prospects of the new Botswana, particularly in cultivating private sector growth since it was widely acknowledged to be an essential component in the alleviation of poverty as a means of providing more and different economic opportunities in any given society.

“It is however disturbing to note that the contribution of the private sector to the development of the domestic economy is still considered to be below its potential despite the previous investments in developing it,” Mr Gaolathe said.

To achieve economic diversification, he said, Botswana needed to promote industrialisation by accelerating economic transformation from the primary sector to advanced manufacturing and services.

He said the UDC was committed to building strong democratic and economic institutions that were robust, inclusive and infused with checks and balances.

Mr Gaolathe said one of his party’s main objective was to offer hope for free self-expression and full participation in the political discourse hence called on every citizen to fully exercise their constitutional right and passively contribute towards nation building.

He said Batswana should be patriotic of their nation and introspect on the journey from independence to the current state of affairs.

He vowed to advocate for all residents despite their party lines or social standing, should the UDC be voted into power. Ends