IEC doesn’t recognise Madibela Tlhopho
Mompati Tlhankane | Monday July 24, 2023 06:00
Madibela Tlhopho is an official Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) group or arrangement endorsed by the UDC national executive committee (NEC) and a project under the office of the UDC president Boko. The group came under scrutiny following their clash with armed security forces recently during a by-election in the Serowe West constituency.
Madibela Tlhopho’s undefined role ‘unlawful’
In an interview with Mmegi this week, the IEC spokesperson Osupile Maroba said the Commission does not know Madibela Tlhopho’s role as the group does not exist in the Constitution and Electoral Act, which regulate the conduct of elections. “However, the party agents in the electoral laws, which are recognised by the IEC are election agents, polling agents, counting agents and clerks/messengers. Any other person who attempts to assume any role on election day when not defined in the Constitution and the Electoral Act would be acting unlawfully,” Maroba pointed out. He said the Commission is only aware of a group calling itself Madibela Tlhopho through public comments and media reports. “The UDC has not officially informed the IEC about the individuals, and it is not compelled to do so since the IEC does not regulate the activities of political parties,” he clarified. In Serowe West, Maroba said there were sporadic disruptions by some persons who unlawfully searched cars and blocked polling station gates. He advised political party candidates to assign agents stipulated in the electoral laws, familiar and knowledgeable with the electoral processes. “Knowledge is power, any knowledgeable voter and election officer will avoid disruptions whether real or perceived,” he further indicated.
Join Madibela Tlhopho - Boko
Meanwhile, after announcing Keakopa as the nationwide leader of Madibela Tlhopho in Shoshong during the BNF annual conference over the holidays, Boko further reiterated his previous comments that the alleged criminality that arose from the 2019 General Election has spurred Madibela Tlhopho into action. He said they called upon all citizens to make it their responsibility to actively participate in the electoral process and to ensure that every voter guards the vote and monitors the process to ensure that the outcome is a true reflection of the will of the voters.
“The discharge of this responsibility to defend the vote has seen the emergence of a movement of vigilant voters and defenders of democracy called Madibela Tlhopho, who have committed to undergo intensive training on the electoral process as laid out in the Electoral Act and then attend at every polling station to monitor closely to ensure that there is full accountability and no room for electoral fraud,” he highlighted. Boko made a plea to all voters and Batswana to step up and be part of the Madibela Tlhopho and physically stand guard at polling stations through to the final counting to ensure the integrity of the vote. “It is the responsibility of every person of goodwill to become part of the Madibela Tlhopho and secure the country against civil strife arising from electoral outcomes that are devoid of credibility and integrity,” he highlighted.
Boko’s IEC mistrust
Boko has always remained adamant in his belief that the 2019 General Election was stolen by the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP). In January 2020 the Court of Appeal (CoA) dismissed with costs 14 UDC election petitions. The petitions were dismissed citing lack of jurisdiction. The UDC had petitioned the court and contested the outcome of the elections citing “irregularities in some of the constituencies”. Before the CoA judgement, the petitions were dismissed by the High Court a day before Christmas Day in 2019. “Our experiences from the 2019 polls have instilled in us a deep-seated mistrust for the IEC. We have taken it upon ourselves to discharge the constitutional imperative of providing heightened scrutiny and meticulous monitoring of the entire electoral process to defend the integrity of the vote,” he told BNF members in Shoshong. In Shoshong, Boko reiterated his recent comments that the IEC is not independent. “The only reprieve the regime sees for itself is to repeat what it did in 2019 and commit wholesale electoral fraud again. The IEC is not independent and this has been evidenced by its appointment of certain known ruling party activists as returning officers in the recent by-elections,” he uttered. He said to this day this regime refuses to allow the counting of ballots to take place at the polling stations, a practice which would remove any risks and misapprehension arising from the transportation of ballot boxes over distances to distant counting centres. “The IEC whose mandate is to deliver free, fair and credible elections and to do so in a transparent manner, continue to fall woefully short of this lofty mandate,” he said. Boko said the current regime is now engaged in efforts to sanction the widespread deployment of the lethal force against citizens. He said the recent events in Serowe where unarmed elderly civilians were threatened with lethal force in the name of the President of Botswana also marked the precise moment when the country sank into state sponsored terrorism.
IEC’s defence
Responding to allegations that the IEC is not independent and the alleged use of security officers to intimidate voters, Maroba told Mmegi in an interview that elections have always been conducted in accordance with the electoral laws regulating elections, and nothing has changed with the election management. “The IEC adopted a policy of stakeholder engagement in cognisance of the complex and sensitive nature of the electoral process. The Commission further extents the open dialogue with stakeholders for everyone to appreciate the processes and familiarise themselves with the system and how it operates,” he said. Maroba added that Batswana and voters need to know that the presence of security forces is for their own safety and security. “The Commission is not aware of anybody who accused the security forces of intimidating voters. Security forces are always among communities as was the case in Serowe West to provide public safety and security to protect voters, polling officers, polling agents, election material and everyone authorised to be in the polling station. Therefore, there would be no reason for a law abiding citizen to be worried about the security forces’ presence instead of feeling safe and secure at an election,” he emphasised. Maroba said the IEC still maintains that the CID and the DIS officers were not part of the polling officers in the Serowe West by-election. “Polling officers refer to returning officers, assistant returning officers, presiding officers, tallying officers and polling officers appointed by the IEC in accordance with Section 4 (2) of the Electoral Act. The IEC further assigns only two police officers at each polling station for safety and security of polling officers, polling agents, voters, election material and anybody who is lawfully allowed in the polling station. The Commission did not engage security forces at polling stations on polling day in the Serowe West by-election,” he further clarified.