Former Member of Parliament for Gaborone Bonnington South, Botsalo Ntuane who over the weekend became the Chairman of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) for the Gaborone Region after standing unopposed.
Ntuane faces a mammoth task of winning back three constituencies that the party lost in this year’s general elections, including Gaborone Central that the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) wrestled away from the Botswana Congress Party, as well as defending Gaborone South.
He promises that his committee will come up with programmes that will revive their fortunes. He said their responsibility as the newly elected Regional Committee is to keep the party afloat in all the five constituencies that the Gaborone Region is comprised of.
“After a less than satisfactory election where we won only one constituency out of the four that we won in 2009, it is upon our committee working with all branch structures to come up with a programme that will revive the fortunes of the BDP. Our first action item is an evaluation of our electoral performance; the process has already commenced,” he said.
He said the BDP was very fortunate because they could have lost power due to the massive protest vote the party experienced, noting that the 2014 election results must serve as a wakeup call. He said by allowing the BDP to retain power, Batswana have thrown them a lifeline that must be utilised effectively for 2019 and beyond.
“My committee also has to prepare Gaborone for the four national activities taking place in 2015 being the Youth Congress, National Council, Women’s Wing Congress and the National Congress, so it’s a busy schedule ahead of us,” he said.
Ntuane, who lost to Ndaba Gaolathe of the UDC, will have to work hard to win back Gaborone Bonnington South, Gaborone Bonnington North and Gaborone North from the UDC as they were all lost with big margins. Gaborone Central, which the BDP lost in 2004 to BCP President Dumelang Saleshando and is now under the UDC through Phenyo Butale, also seems to be not anywhere near the hands of the BDP. Kagiso Molatlhegi’s Gaborone South was maintained with a margin of just over 200 votes, meaning that the BDP needs to as well, work hard to retain it in 2019.