Former Botswana Congress Party Youth League (BCPYL) President, Lotty Manyapetsa has accused residents of Francistown for bringing misery into their own lives by electing wrong political candidates despite lack of developments in their city.
Addressing a BCP Youth League rally which was held at the Francistown Bus Rank last week, Manyepetsa likened the residents to suicide bombers who care less about their own lives.
“When the 2014 election results were announced, I was shocked to learn that the very people of Francistown who are living in misery elected the very same leaders who will never bring any significant change into their lives.
The people of Francistown are like suicide bombers. Suicide bombers do not care much about their lives. They failed to change their lives through voting. The BCP is the only party that has the people’s plight at heart,” he said.
He said by electing Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) members of parliament, Buti Billy, Ignatius Moswaane and the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) legislator Wynter Mmolotsi, the residents were destined for a bleak future. He accused the legislators for not contributing much in parliament to make sure that the grievances of the people of Francistown are addressed.
“I least expected the people of Francistown to elect these individuals because they are worthless. Buti Billy has never contributed anything sound in parliament since his election, while Moswaane is untrustworthy. Mmolotsi is also known in parliament for just fielding questions without addressing the plight of the people of Francistown,” he said.
“I still fail to understand how BCP’s Dr Habaudi Hubona was not elected when she proved her worth during her short stint in parliament last year. It is high time that the people of Francistown vote leaders because of their capabilities,” added Manyapetsa.
He said it is disappointing to note that Francistown being the second city, does not have proper infrastructure especially roads. He also said the city is experiencing land shortage, unemployment and poverty.
“We at the BCP believe that people in Francistown and Batswana in general should be given land. We have always advocated for the Land Audit for companies like Tati Company to account for the chunks of land they own. With a number of mines surrounding this city, we believe the residents of Francistown should benefit from these minerals through beneficiation. We believe minerals can create sustainable jobs for the people of Francistown and the rest of Batswana. We preached all these things during the campaigns but unfortunately the residents chose to ignore us,” he said.
Manyapetsa said it is high time that the people of Francistown retrospect as their future lies in their hands. He also accused Francistown City Council (FCC) for electing Sylvia Muzila as the city mayor despite the fact that she failed the city during her tenure as District Commissioner.
On a different note, Manyapetsa attacked those who have always accused the BCP for not joining the UDC.
“We will not be intimidated by a number of people who are calling for us to join the Umbrella because we understand who we are and we know what we want. As we are speaking today, the UDC has never held a single congress and Boko was elected as President in a rally. Do you want us to trust such a party?” asked Manyapetsa.
He also accused the BDP for being a corrupt party. He said Batswana are wallowing in poverty while the BDP top brass are living lavishly through corrupt means. He said once the BCP assumes power, they will prosecute all BDP corrupt politicians and their associates.
“Should we assume power, we will prosecute all the BDP top brass and their associates for corruption,” he said.
