WARNING: This is Version 1 of my old archive, so Photos will NOT work and many links will NOT work. But you can find articles by searching on the Titles. There is a lot of information in this archive. Use the SEARCH BAR at the top right. Prior to December 2012; I was a pro-Christian type of Conservative. I was unaware of the mass of Jewish lies in history, especially the lies regarding WW2 and Hitler. So in here you will find pro-Jewish and pro-Israel material. I was definitely WRONG about the Boeremag and Janusz Walus. They were for real.
Original Post Date: 2009-05-19 Time: 02:00:26 Posted By: Jan
By Oarabile Mosikare
Francistown – An epic battle has ensued among the main political parties to claim control of Botswana’s second city. The parties have started painting the city with their colours.
The parties have embarked on an advertising blitz to increase their visibility and thereby lure potential voters. For the first time in Francistown, there is a billboard bearing all the three Botswana Congress Party (BCP) parliamentary aspirants. The BCP has also emblazoned 10 combis with party colours and three portraits of the parliamentary candidates.
Not to be outdone, the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) candidates here have also inscribed their personal and constituency vehicles with their images and party colours.
The BNF is only visible in Francistown South where the parliamentary candidate Joseph Mumba and one of the council aspirant Chingombe Modikwa have mounted campaign posters on street poles.
Currently, the city is under the control of the ruling BDP after winning all the three Francistown East, West and South constituencies in the last 2004 general elections.
Of all the three constituencies the BDP romped home victories albeit with a slim margin in Francistown south. MP Khumongwana Maoto of the BDP clinched the constituency after thrashing Vain Mamela and Matlhomola Modise of BCP and Botswana Alliance Movement (BAM) respectively.
Maoto registered 2, 843 votes against Mamela’s 2, 653 votes and Modise’s paltry 779 votes. Out of the six council wards, the BDP and the opposition shared them equally.
Ipopeng and Ikageng wards went to the BCP’s David Tawele and Tabengwa Tabengwa respectively. The veteran Motlatsi Molapise of Botswana Peoples Party (BPP) was given another lease of life to represent Boikhutso ward.
The last three wards – Somerset east, Philip Matante West and Philip Matante East – were won by Philip Butale, Biki Mbulawa and Kealebetse Ntseane of the BDP. The BDP gave the BCP sleepless nights and they were motivated by the small margin the ruling party won the constituency with. The BCP has listed it under category one, which is a must win constituency.
Mamela and company did not disappear into thin air but camped in the constituency by holding rallies. This time round Mamela is coming head to head not with Maoto but with the youthful Wynter Mmolotsi. Mmolotsi dethroned Maoto during the bruising Bulelwa Ditswe primaries.
Mmolotsi is confident to vanquish the opposition come October. Other political players are the BPP president Bernard Balikani, BNF’s Mumba and the independent candidate and former BNF policy ideologue, Dr Elmon Tafa.
Since the BPP president relocated from Francistown West to Francistown South after a former BCP Central Committee member Whyte Marobela elbowed him from the constituency, he has not started campaigning. It is not known if Tafa has foot soldiers doing the dirty work for him. A minus for the University of Botswana lecturer is that he is new into the game of contesting national elections.
Tafa’s name was struck off the voter’s roll in Francistown South after it was found that he had registered to vote in an open space.
An interesting battle will be between Mmolotsi and Mamela, the former Member of Parliament for Francistown west from 1994 to 1999. With due respect to other candidates they are contesting to boost democracy. The constituency could go either to the BDP or the BCP.
Another battle is expected in Francistown East between MP Phandu Skelemani and private lawyer Morgan Moseki. It will be a battle between “learned friends” as attorneys call each in court. Skelemani is arguably one of the luminaries in our young jurisprudence.
Moseki on the other hand is fast establishing himself in the private practice.
In the last elections, Skelemani won the constituency hands down against Moseki and the BPP representative Kumbulani William. He was voted by 3, 255 whereas 1, 419 and 869 voters elected Moseki and William respectively. After the results were announced the BPP that was representing the PACT partners the BNF and BAM vanished from the constituency. Apparently two candidates have shown interest in representing the BPP here but the party is not in the position to disclose names.
Itekeng, Government camp, Central, Donga, Satellite South and Satellite North wards constitute Francistown East. Skelemani and his team swept everything at stake during the last elections. This did not dampen the spirits of Moseki and associates who started conducting house to house campaigns and addressing political rallies immediately after their loss.
The BCP claims it has made some serious inroads in this constituency and promises some surprises after the ballots counting. Interestingly, the BCP votes here have been constant since contesting the elections for the first time in 1999 after its formation. In 1999 many political players crowded the political field. Four in total contested whereas in 2004 only three took part in the elections because the BNF and BAM contested under the BPP banner.
In 1999 BDP, represented by Joy Phumaphi, punished its opponents convincingly netting 4, 310 votes. The BNF’s Peter Woto came second with 1, 525, followed by BCP’s Raphael Sikwane at 1, 416 votes and Knight Maripe of BAM at 1, 178 votes. There was a big turnout during the 1999 elections with 8, 429 votes cast against 2004’s 5, 543 votes.
It is five months to go to the ballot and the BNF and BPP have not made their intention known. Both the BCP and BDP have started littering the constituency with their campaign materials. In fairness Skelemani is likely to be victorious but with a small margin. At Francistown west the BDP, the BCP and the BPP are going to slug it out against each other. MP Tshelang Masisi has been at the helm of the constitution since winning it in 1999.
He has been winning it with large margins since 10 years ago. For the first time he was voted by 4, 018 electorate. His nearest rival was Mamela who was defending the constituency came second with 1, 623 votes. Vincent ‘Zowila’ Kenosi of the BNF with 1, 604 followed him and trailing behind was Matlhomola Modise with 1, 142 votes. Fast forward to October 2004 Masisi registered yet another win by securing 3, 526 votes.
Coming close to him was BCP’s Whyte Marobela with 1, 539 votes and Bernard Balikani of BPP was last with 1, 509. Marobela has since decamped from the BCP to contest under the BPP banner. He would be having a go at Masisi for the second time and he thinks this time he is heading to parliament. Marobela is planning to host workshops for the electorates in addition to political rallies to lure them to vote for him.
Given the opportunity, he likes telling who ever will listen that the political match is between him and the incumbent MP Masisi. The likes of Modise will be linesman or spectators, he says. The truth is he was compromised in favour of Modise to contest the constituency. This was an agreement reached after the BCP and BAM formed an election PACT. This did not go down well with Marobela who responded by resigning from the BCP, the party he helped form and joined the crumbling BPP.
Just like Marobela, the BAM secretary general Modise will try his second chance here. He hopes the electorate have not forgotten him because he contested the constituency 10 years ago. The opposition hopes the troubles besieging the BDP will be to their advantage. Two members of BDP at Kanana and Moselewapula wards are said to have registered as independents.
Cornelius Gopolang was recently launched as an independent candidate in Kanana whereas one Joseph Mabutho is allegedly campaigning as an independent candidate at Moselewapula. This is not good news to Masisi and the party has to work very hard to neutralize the two men’s influence at those constituencies.
Since all the seven wards Monarch South, Monarch East, Monarch West, Tatitown, Botsalano, Kanana and Moselewapula are under Masisi’s lieutenants. None of the wards are marginal. Masisi is set to repeat history by winning a treble. But both Marobela and Modise are also busy campaigning to win the souls and minds of the Francistown West electorate. Their campaign materials are expected to fight for space “on the trees, on the dustbins and on the street poles”.
Original Source: 
Original date published: 15 May 2009
Source: http://allafrica.com/stories/200905180940.html?viewall=1