In October, Batswana will queue to vote in the general elections which are anticipated to bring a few changes and challenge the status-quo in the country. With many young people encouraged to vote, it is hoped that Botswana will draw lessons from South Africa despite President Ian Khama’s refusal to send a delegate of observers there.
On Wednesday, millions of South Africans will stream out to voting stations to cast their votes in the third free elections of that country.
The results of South Africa’s elections are likely to have a bearing on the upcoming polls in Botswana.
The two countries have a strong history that spans many decades and has culminated in the current relationship the countries share, with High Commissions in both countries.
The strong relations go back to the establishment of the South Africa Customs Union (SACU) in 1910.
It also continued through the apartheid era ÔÇô a time when black political freedom fighters used the country as a hide-out from the apartheid government’s wrath. The government was also vocal about the killings and attacks of freedom fighters here.
In 1986, it was a terrible situation when the West threatened sanctions against South Africa. The then president of Botswana Quett Masire was vocal against this course of action, noting that the country’s neighbours would suffer the most if that was done.
Post apartheid, after the first free and fair general elections for all in 1994, relations between the two countries strengthened and were upgraded to diplomatic and economic level.
As it is, any political strife emanating from South Africa could spill over into Botswana, given that the two countries share a border.
Moreover, Botswana heavily depends on South Africa ÔÇô a port to other parts of the world ÔÇô for a vast array of commodities.
All eyes will be on the vast tract of land of South Africa, the economic and cultural hub of the continent, and often described as the USA of Africa, to see how it can transition beyond the past eras.
These include apartheid, economic disparities and the continued challenges of shocking poverty, racial and gender inequality and the need to hand on the baton to a younger generation of leaders.
Although there are several political parties of South Africa, at the helm is the 102- year-old African National Congress (ANC), which has been credited with leading the country from the painful era of apartheid to a new dispensation termed the rainbow nation.
There is also the Democratic Alliance (DA), seen as the robust alternative voice of South Africans, always keeping the ruling party in check.
Perhaps of more interest is the Economic Freedom Front (EFF), a baby if ever there was one, since it has been in existence for only eight months, but yet already a force to be reckoned with. With the controversial Julius Malema, the former ANC youth league leader who ruffled more than a few feathers during his tenure in the party, it is perhaps somewhat ironic for many that he is now vehemently against the very forces he worked with.
However, it seems the two parties are at loggerheads over alleged gross mass corruption, and economic policies (the EFF is adamant on nationalism).
In a short space of time, the EFF has endeared itself to many South Africans and party members have had endless clashes with opposition.
No major incidents have been reported in the South African media leading up to the elections, and locals describe the mood as electric but calm.
Prudence Matima, who once lived in exile, and is now manager to revered poet Lebo Mashile, is adamant that the ANC has definitely been challenged.
“With the formation of Agang, I believe that it was evident that South Africa is ready for a new political party gunning to neutralize the perceived ‘arrogance’ and ‘too much power’ of the ruling party,” she argues.
“Remember that parties like COPE and UDM were formed by ANC members who were angry at the party. COPE was formed by former president Thabo Mbeki’s supporters in 2007, after he was axed in Polokwane.
”UDM was formed in 1996, after Bantu Holomisa was angry at Thabo Mbeki. The EFF was also formed by a group led by Malema, after he was fired from the ANC.”
Mashile adds a postscript: “From all this, the only good thing is that it is good for any country to have an opposition point of view that will keep the ruling party in check. I think personally, I would vote for the party that purports to look after my pocket.”
Pumla Gqola, a Wits university lecturer and author believes that the ANC will win with an outright majority.
“However, I do think that the opposition party landscape had some interesting surprises for all of us. There are no threats to political stability. The elections will most likely be predictable, with little violence or tampering,” she says.
Describing the mood on the ground, Khaya Sibeko, an entrepreneur, notes that there is an air of excitement due to the fact that there’s a large pool of young people born from 1996 whose vote is sought by every party.
“Unlike much of their older counterparts they probably won’t vote on sentiment alone. Parties like the ever growing DA and the popular EFF are segment of that electorate because they promise change, and address post-apartheid issues like unemployment,” he says.
Tshepy Matloga, a 25-year-old media consultancy business owner, is also optimistic and excited, herself being a beneficiary of the opportunities that came with a new South Africa.
“I don’t think I have ever seen young people so excited about politics since what was documented in 1976 and before,” she says.
“It really is exciting times especially as the ‘born frees’ will be casting their vote for the first time. This is my second time voting and though it’s exciting, it’s also confusing. I honestly still haven’t decided which way to swing my vote but I know I will make my X on the ballot paper,” she gushes with a smile.
It would be easy enough to assume that it will be plain sailing for the ANC, on the basis of the party having led the anti-apartheid movement.
Yet questions abound. What success stories can they tell? Do locals still trust them? Will their loyalty remain as steadfast as it was a few years after the first free general elections in 1994 that saw the late Nelson Mandela become the first black president of the country?
Sibeko insists that the fact that the ANC has disappointed South Africans will work to the opposition’s advantage but the ruling party has done its part.
“It would be unfair to proclaim there has not been any visible change since 1994. At this point, more children are going to school, local businesses have mushroomed across the continent and there’s been relative political stability.
“Of course, there is the sense that a lot more could have been done had more ethical people been put into authority. The unemployment rate for one remains a serious concern and its effect affects the social fabric of the country. Jacob Zuma has been quoted saying that South Africa “has been a good story” but I partly agree,” he says.
Whatever the case, for the new generation of South Africans, this will be a chance to choose their own leaders.
It may yet turn out to be something which Botswana youth will draw from ÔÇô the power of voting to make their voice heard.
