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- As he bounces back to the BDP
- Tsogwane tasks him to bag Okavango East
Some political pundits have of late labelled him a confused politician for the mixed messages he has been sending lately regarding his political home, but former Okavango MP Bagalatea Arone was this weekend unfazed as he knelt down and asked for forgiveness from the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) faithfuls over the weekend.
Not only did he beg for forgiveness, Arone also promised the BDP the Okavango East Constituency in the upcoming general elections- with so much confidence and conviction. At the end of the day, everything went Arone’s way, he was indeed forgiven and welcomed back into the party by non-other than the party Chairman Slumber Tsogwane.
Arone’s theatrics, all took place during Kgosing /Kubung councilor, Tswelelo Sebati’s victory celebration at the Magotho freedom square, an arguably high profile event graced by the party leadership that included secretary general, Kavis Kario, North West Regional Chairperson, Reaboka Mbulawa, BDP Members of Parliament and cabinet ministers.
Theatrics because, last weekend’s parading was not the first in the recent past, as Arone was recently also welcomed to the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) under the Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) by the coalition president, Duma Boko. This followed his defection in 2014 from his historical political home, the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) to the BDP in 2014, before he went AWOL politically after losing the elections in 2019.
Tsogwane thanked Arone for being honest and true to his choices by coming back to the ruling party. He has since assured him that democrats in Okavango are waiting for him therefore he should go back and work in the constituency.
“Your people and the constituency were lost to the opposition but it is now waiting for you so that you can work hard to return it from the opposition,” he said.
Tsogwane applauded Arone that after he went astray he came clean to the party and confessed his bad motives and behavior during his time away from the party.
Arone was jubilantly welcomed by the party faithfuls, to extent he almost overshadowed the man of the day, Sebati. He said his parents and the people of Okavango still believe and trust him to represent them in the general elections under BDP in 2024.
Now it is yet to be seen how things will turn out in Okavango as Arone is likely to face Cameroon Dina at the party primaries while BCP/AP/BLP has Gabatsholwe Disho and Kabelo Mahupe with the UDC yet to announce its candidate.
