The BPF has taken control of the Palapye District Council chairmanship after David Ikanyeng was elected following a successful motion of no confidence against UDC councillor Kabo Ketshogile.
GAZETTE REPORTER
The Botswana Patriotic Front has wrestled control of the Palapye District Council chairmanship after councillors voted to remove Umbrella for Democratic Change councillor Kabo Ketshogile through a motion of no confidence and elected BPF councillor David Buffalo Ikanyeng as his successor.
The outcome is likely to spark political debate because the UDC commands the largest bloc in the council with 16 councillors, compared to seven for the BPF. The council also comprises four Botswana Congress Party councillors, four Botswana Democratic Party councillors, one Independent councillor and one Botswana Republican Party representative.
COUNCIL NUMBERS
Given the UDC’s numerical advantage, political observers say the result suggests that councillors from outside the BPF ranks may have supported the motion, pointing to possible fractures within the UDC caucus or the emergence of a new political alignment within the council.
Ketshogile’s removal comes barely a week after he survived an earlier attempt to unseat him, highlighting the intense political contest that has gripped the local authority in recent weeks.
BPF WELCOMES
Following the successful motion, councillors elected Ikanyeng to the chairmanship, handing the BPF one of its most significant local government victories since the last elections.
BPF interim Public Secretary Modiri JoJo Lucas welcomed the outcome, saying Ikanyeng’s election reflected the confidence councillors had not only in his leadership abilities but also in the party he represents.
“We are not in any war with the UDC. We are a party readying itself for state power,” he said.
VOTE SCRUTINY
The circumstances surrounding the vote are likely to come under scrutiny in the coming days as attention turns to which councillors may have backed the motion against Ketshogile and what the outcome means for future cooperation among opposition parties at local government level.