26 Aug 2024

Botswana Congress Party’s (BCP) deputy leader, Mr Taolo Lucas has pleaded with electorate to put their trust in the party’s prospective parliamentary candidate for Gabane/Mmankgodi constituency, Mr Ofentse Mareme.

Mr Lucas, who was speaking during the launch of Mr Mareme and his team of prospective councillors in Gabane on Saturday said the BCP took a bold decision to contest for the forthcoming general election outside the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) as they believed their time was long overdue.

He said ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP)’s policies and programmes had not benefitted Batswana.

Mr Lucas asked voters to vote in Mr Mareme, saying he would tackle land and water challenges in the area.

He said the prospective parliament candidate was one of the founding members of the BCP and a good leader with good reputation.

BCP has a leader in Mr Dumelang Saleshando, who is capable of leading the country, Mr Lucas said,  adding that the party’s hope and wish was to reclaim all the constituency it lost in the past elections. For his part, Mr Mareme assured voters of his unwavering service as he had served them as a councillor for the past 15 years.

He promised to address nagging issues in the area including challenges at the Kweneng Land Board. Mr Mareme also promised to establish a commission of inquiry to look into matters relating to benefits of Batswana who had worked in the South African mines.

BCP Youth league deputy leader, Mr June June said it was time for regime change as the past rulers had run out of steam.

He promised voters that the BCP would create more than 60 000 jobs when mandated with state power. Mr June said Botswana had a lot of job opportunities especially in the creative and performing sector where a lot of talent was relocating abroad, in search of greener pastures.

BCP Ngwaketse constituency campaign manager, Mr Pako Sealetsa pleaded with voters to give his party a chance to rule.

He said the BDP had failed to nurture the economy and only relied on natural resources, which had a short life span.

Mr Sealetsa said the BCP had plans to emulate countries like Malaysia which were selling services and contributing largely to the GDP.

Another speaker and prospective parliamentary candidate for Mogoditshane East, Mr Sedirwa Kgoroba said his party’s manifesto was loud and clear about providing better wages and decent jobs for Batswana.

He said under his party’s rule, Batswana who were unemployed would receive P600 as an unemployed benefit to cushion them against the high cost of living.

Mr Kgoroba said his party was vocal about economic corruption in the public sector. ENDS