19 Aug 2024

The Botswana Congress party (BCP) vice president Mr Taolo Lucas has praised the party’s prospective parliamentary candidate for Mmopane/Metsimotlhabe constituency Mr Mokgweetsi Kgosipula describing him as a seasoned veteran in Botswana’s politics of liberation.

Speaking at the party’s candidate launch on Saturday at Metsimotlhabe, Mr Lucas said Mr Kgosipula, who has been nominated as an MP candidate for the BCP from its alliance partner, the Botswana Labour Party (BLP), brings with him a wealth of experience and a long history of involvement in opposition liberation politics from the time when he served as Botswana National Front (BNF) MP for Mogoditshane from 1994-1999 and during his involvement in the formation of the BCP when it splits from the BNF in 1999.

He therefore appealed to the voters of Mmopane/Metsimotlhabe constituency to put their trust in Mr Kgosipula at the polls.

Touching on the land ownership issue, Mr Lucas  assured constituents that his party, if elected to government, would prioritise their right to own land, a right that he claimed was denied by the ruling party.

His promises to the electorate were underpinned by his party’s commitment to constitutionally entrench the right to own land.

During the launch, Gabane North East councilor Mr Ofentse Mareme also weighed in on the land crisis in the constituency, citing the Mogoditshane sub land board as a key source of frustration.

Mr Mareme, revealed that Mogoditshane sub land board had a waiting list of over 150 000 individuals, some of whom had been on the waiting list since 1993.

He nonetheless vowed that the BCP if voted into power, would take decisive action to address the problem.

He promised a 50 per cent reduction in the waiting list, prioritising the needs of the residents of Metsimotlhabe, Gaphatshwa and Mmopane.

Turning to the party’s history in the constituency, councilor Mareme reminded the electorate that the BCP had previously enjoyed strong representation in the Kweneng district council, with nine councillors elected in 2009.

Therefore he cemented the party’s position as a trustworthy option for Metsimotlhabe-Mmopane voters given their proven record of representing the constituency’s needs in the past.

Botswana Congress Party Youth League (BCPYL) vice president Mr June June highlighted the unique position of the BCP as the sole party with a youth-centered manifesto.

He lamented the lack of youth representation in parliament despite their significant numbers, painting a grim picture of youth unemployment rates of more than 35 per cent under the current administration.

Mr June stated that if the BCP were to form the government, it would champion youth employment and skills development through vocational training, unlocking the potential of young people and empowering them with the tools to secure their future.

On the issue of school sports, the BCPYL vice president asserted that not all young people were academically inclined and that sports provided a valuable opportunity for those with athletic talent to excel and make a living.

He stressed the importance of returning school sports, viewing it as a crucial part of the education system that had been overlooked for too long.

For his part, Mr Kgosipula, accepted the nomination and prioritized a range of issues that he believed required urgent attention if elected as the Member of Parliament for the constituency.

His concerns included the alarming levels of waste accumulation in the constituency, which he vowed to tackle by advocating for better waste management practices.

He also emphasised the importance of access to water and land, the two key areas that he saw as crucial to the wellbeing of Metsimotlhabe/Mmopane residents. ENDS