•    DK to launch the candidate
•    Mfa “not done with politics yet”

The Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) will field Mr. Fidelis MacDonald Molao as its parliamentary candidate in the coming Tonota North bye-election; Molao won the party’s primary election, held over the weekend.

Molao, who recently resigned from his top post at the Botswana National Youth Council (BNYC) in order to try his luck as the BDP’s parliamentary candidate in Tonota North. The seat became vacant when the former Minister of Finance and Development, Mr. Baledzi Gaolathe, died.

Molao defeated five other candidates, polling 778 votes against Messrs. Onkabetse Daniel 534, votes and former Cabinet Minister, Mr. Olifant Mfa’s 364 votes, Lewis Malikongwa 521, Lewis Malikongwa, Daniel Moeng and Ipuseng Chikanda 355, and Molomo Ali Maano 308.

Some of the candidates have alleged ”irregularities” during the elections and it is understood that they met to conduct a post-mortem on the election, although it is understood that none had formally complained to the central committee by the time of going to press.

Molao told The Gazette that it was not yet time to celebrate because a bigger task lay ahead - in the bye-election. He urged the residents of Tonota North who had registered for the 2009 general election to vote for him.

And BDP Executive Secretary Dr. Batlang Comma Serema declared in an interview that the election had gone well and there were no complaints. He said the party’s Chairman, Mr. Daniel Kwelagobe, will launch the candidate on Saturday, and as is the norm, the other contestants will rally behind the winner to help party to recapture the constituency.

“The only problem that we experienced was that most of the membership cards had expired and had not been renewed; this was due to the fact that Mr. Gaolathe and two councilors were unopposed in 2009 and no primary elections were held in their areas,” he said.

For his part Mfa said he was not yet done with politics and will be back in 2013 to contest the primary elections; he said he had contested the Tonota North primary election against the will of his supporters in his former constituency of Nata/Gweta.

“I will decide in time where I want to stand between the two constituencies.” Mfa said he has no intention of leaving the BDP and still wants to serve under President Ian Khama.

The BDP will face the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) in the battle for the constituency, which will field Dr. Habaudi Hobona, who stood against Gaolathe in 2009. Molao was Gaolathe’s campaign manager then.

This time around Hobona could bank on the support of other opposition parties, including its splinter, the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD) which has agreed to an alliance with the BCP as far as elections are concerned.

Hobona is expected to portray the BDP as unfit to govern and to stress that the BCP was ready to take over the constituency in coalition with the other opposition parties; Molao on the other hand will bank on the BDP’s track record and incumbency – as well as his willingness to execute the BDP’s policies.

Tonota North is made up of Sebina, Mathangwane, Marapong, Simitwe, Natale, Borolong, Chadibe, Mabesekwa, Mokubilo, and Jamataka among other villages and settlements.