Just few days before the BotswanaDemocratic Party(BDP) elective congress inMaun, Minister of Education andSkills Development, PelonomiVenson-Moitoi’s campaign teamis pushing for Tati East Memberof Parliament, Samson GumaMoyo to pull out of the chairmanshiprace.It is probable that Venson-Moitoi is applying the samestrategy she used to persuadethe erstwhile chairperson hopefulPatrick Balopi, who has sincejoined her team as an additionalmember, to dissuade Moyo fromcontesting for the powerful position.
Venson-Motoi had confirmed to the The Gazette in aprevious interview that indeedshe asked Balopi as a party elderto give way to her and join herlobby list as an additional member.According to Venson-Moitoi’scampaigner who did not want tobe identifi ed, the idea is to furtherunite the party. He revealedthat plans are underway to send adelegation to meet with Moyo torequest him to pull out of the raceand give his support to Moitoi.The campaigner who spoke toThe Gazette claims that Moyocannot win at the congress butthey recognise his value to theBDP. We will need each othermore after the congress. Engagementswith other democrats whoappear on the Moyo list are alsoon the pipeline,” the campaignersaid.
However, Venson-Moitoi refutedclaims that her campaignteam has a plan to approachMoyo and recruit his team tosupport her. “I have a campaignteam that I manage. I do notknow what is happening in theother lobby, as far as I know Iwill be contesting against Moyonext weekend,” she said.Nevertheless, pressed furtheron why Venson-Moitoi was notaware of the hatched plan to requestMoyo to pull out of therace, the campaigner pointedthat; “We are the campaigningteam. Moitoi does not know anythingat the moment. This moveis fuelled by Venson-Moitoi’ssupporters.
The delegation willbe meeting Moyo on Tuesday(today),” he said.An additional member fromMoyo’s team, Kitso Seloma saidthere was no way he could supportVenson-Moitoi. “I choseMoyo because I believe he has avision to drive the nation and theparty with his economic drive approach,”he said.Reached for comment, Moyosaid he will not be available forthe said meeting on Tuesday ashe is a “busy man”. “It is a bigdream that cannot be achieved;it is the same as saying I met JesusChrist at the mall. We will becontesting; our campaigns arerunning smoothly and peacefully.No one can even think of comingto me and say that,” said the confident Moyo.Should he pull back, thiswould mean that Venson-Moitoiwould has been unopposed at theMaun congress but it seems thatthis will not be the case as thereis a new lobby list that has reportedlybeen submitted to the party.