Despite President Mokgweetsi Masisi, cabinet ministers and the BDP having invaded Maun prior the election of the North West District and Okavango District Councils political leadership, opposition remained unshaken as they maintained their dominance of the region.
It seems Masisi, BDP Chairman, Slumber Tsogwane and other party leaders who had a busy political schedule in the region ahead of the elections could not help the party wrestle control of the two councils’ leadership from the opposition. The party has even failed to retain leadership of the Okavango District Council as the opposition toppled them from the positions.
Opposition’s win of the councils’ political leadership strengthened their dominance of the region as they also hold incumbency of four of the five constituencies of the region, being Maun West and East, Ngami and Okavango except for Chobe.
Despite the fallout between BCP and BNF at the top level, councillors of both parties in the region agreed to unite and help each other to win the elections. The parties even sent a strong warning to its councilors not to defy their party caucuses and vote the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) candidates.
The unity borne fruits as the party won leadership of both councils. NWDC Chairman Kebareeditse Ntsogotho and his deputy Lekonne Masoko retained their seats while in Okavango Gaopalelwe Ronald become the inaugural Chairman for Okavango District and Mpoke Karapo as his deputy.
Ntsogotho and Masoko were voted by 19 councillors against 10 councillors who voted Bareetsi Bogaisang and Lotsogile Motsumi of Botswana Democratic Party respectively. Ronald won the chairmanship election by 10 voters against 8 who voted for BDP councillor, Lesedi Boy while Karapo attained the deputy chair in coin tossing contest after the two had a tie for about three times.
Though both parties had equal representation of nine councillors it turns out one of the BDP councillor defied the party caucus and voted against Boy. The same however did not happen in the elections for the deputy hence a tie between Karapo and Lelejwang Sokwe.
Meanwhile UDC North West Regional Chairman Simon Nthite has applauded the opposition councilors for having taken a bold decision to set aside their differences and jointly voted against BDP. Nthite stressed that the main objective of the opposition remains to unseat the BDP government from power.
He noted that constituents still believe in the coalition of opposition parties adding that they still need the UDC with BCP included to remove BDP from power.
“Their unity show that the coalition work can for opposition parties in the upcoming general elections, it is pity that the UDC is currently having issues with BCP but we pray that both parties set aside their differences and unite to remove BDP from power,” Nthite said.
