15 Oct 2024

President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi has urged the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) members to stand united and loyal to their party in order to retain the Tswapong North constituency.

The constituency, which had eight wards, now consists of 10 wards after the delimitation exercise, which incorporated part of the villages that made up the Mmadinare constituency into Tswapong North.

President Masisi told democrats in Tswapong North that BDP aim was  to win all 61 constituencies including the council seats, thus pleading with constituents to vote for the BDP parliamentary candidate for Tswapong North, Mr Setlhabelo Modukanele, and council candidates.

The candidates were launched in Lerala on Sunday.

The President urged all the disgruntled BDP members who registered as independent candidates after losing in the primary elections to come back to the party and resolve their issues amicably with the party leadership.

“Tell those people that we love them and should come back to their party. They should not waste their time to stand as independent candidates because in politics you need your team to make policies," he said.

Touching on the upcoming development projects in Tswapong North, Dr Masisi informed them of the government’s plan to construct a hospital and a police station in Lerala, urging them to vote for the BDP to enable the party to continue with implementation of these projects.

As a party that listened to aspirations of Batswana, he said the BDP also increased Chema Chema programme funding from P200 million to P500 million with Tswapong North having only 127 applications estimated at P1.5m.

He urged them to apply for funding in high numbers and assuring them of the support and assistance from the Local Enterprise Agency (LEA) and the Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency (CEDA).

Dr Masisi also urged them to apply for the Temo Letlotlo and Thuo Letlotlo programmes, aimed at helping farmers to increase agricultural production and at the same time create jobs and advance economic growth.

For his part, the BDP Tswapong North branch chairperson, Mr Othata Mmolotsi, assured President Masisi of the BDP’s victory in Tswapong North in the coming general elections.

He said though some members who lost in the primary elections and those who failed vetting process had registered as independent candidates, the party was working tirelessly to retain the constituency and the council seats including those that were part of Mmadinare.

The former MP for Mmadinare, Mr Molebatsi Molebatsi, urged the people of Tamasane, Diloro, Kgagodi, Mogapinyana and Mogapi to vote for the BDP in the coming general elections.

He said BDP members should work together as a team to win the two wards lost to the opposition in 2019.

Mr Molebatsi urged them to vote for Mr Modukanele, describing him as a humble and hard working leader who always had the interest of his constituents at heart.

“For you to continue enjoying the newly introduced government programmes, you should vote for Mr Modukanele,” he said.

Mr Modukanele thanked government for the upcoming hospital and police station projects in Tswapong North.

He urged the constituents to support him in the coming general elections to enable the BDP to retain the constituency.

In addition he thanked the First Lady, Ms Neo Masisi, for visiting Kgagodi and Mogapinyana to discuss issues of gender-based violence. ENDS