Mamela vows to topple BDP
Correspondent | Sunday May 12, 2024 22:03
Mamela, who was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Francistown West from 1994 to 1999, made the vow when he and other candidates were launched by the president of the BCP, Dumelang Saleshando, over the past weekend.
Mamela cut his teeth in politics in the Botswana National Front (BNF) before the BNF splintered in 1998 due to a leadership dispute with its late leader, Dr Kenneth Koma.
The BDP will hold its primaries wherein Buti Billy, the current MP for Francistown East, will lock horns with the Mayor of Francistown, Godisang Radisigo.
Mamela will have to stave off competition from the vice president of the Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF), Keitumetse Muzila, and the secretary-general of the Botswana People’s Party (BPP), Tiroeaone Ntsima, who will the representing the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC).
Addressing the multitudes who attended the launch on Sunday, Mamela urged voters to vote for the BCP in all the constituencies in Botswana because it has shown that it is the only party that is serious about bringing the change that the nation has long yearned for. The same mantra was repeated by various speakers who gave speeches during the rally.
Mamela said unlike the BDP, the BCP will resuscitate the economy of Francistown following the closure of many businesses that were the mainstay of its economy in the past. He, just like his colleagues who spoke before him, said the BCP is committed to the efficient spending of public funds unlike the BDP, which he said was notorious for using public finances to further the interests of a few well connected people. Mamela, 62, hit out at his detractors from the BDP who he said were using his age to decampaign him. He said the issue of age was a non-matter because even the BDP has sitting MPs and councillors who are much older than him but nobody says anything about their ages. Dismissing the notion that he is old and not fit to hold public office, Mamela said age, wisdom, youthfulness and competency complement each other and as such, he implored voters to shun those who peddle the false narrative that age is a factor in politics. Meanwhile, Saleshando rallied support for Mamela, who has extensive experience in the banking industry, describing him as a, “selfless person who could have climbed up the corporate ladder but because of his love for people, especially the less privileged, he left his plum job and joined politics to fight for their plight. Salesando urged voters not to throw caution to the wind by voting for the BDP because they will live to regret the decisions of having done so. The BCP leader said the upcoming elections are a measure of the good and evil and he cautioned voters against voting for any party in the much anticipated elections in October except the BCP lest they regret their decisions. He said the BDP is a spent force which has no idea about how to run a government adding that voters will be compounding their socio-economic problems such as the high unemployment, inequality and crime, if they continue to vote for the BDP.