Tati West Member of Parliament Charles Mbiganyi Tibone will be quitting active politics at the expiration of his current term in 2014, impeccable Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) sources have revealed.
The two- term (2004 ÔÇô 2014) Tati West legislator will, with effect from tomorrow (Wednesday) begin a tour of his constituency to announce his pending political retirement to his constituents.
Impeccable sources have indicated that Tibone has already communicated his impending departure to BDP president Ian Khama who has in turn accepted the pending retirement.
The Telegraph has it on good authority that Tibone, who has refused to confirm his impending departure from active politics will be embarking on a constituency tour to announce his retirement starting tomorrow.
Contacted to either confirm or deny that he will be quitting active politics at the end of his current term in 2014, Tibone flatly refused to discuss the issue preferring to slam this publication for nudging him on the pending retirement.
“Write what you like. You have always written without contacting me. Why are you contacting this time around?” fumed Tibone.
On the back of the impeding announcement, some Botswana Democratic Party activists in the Tati West constituency are understood to be readying themselves in preparation for his replacement although they have not yet gone public for fear of breaching the party’s primaries campaign rules.
Former Francistown mayor Peter Ngoma has already relocated to the constituency and is ready to slug it out with whoever shows interest in the constituency on the BDP ticket. The Telegraph is informed that among the democrats eyeing the constituency apart from Ngoma are councillors Damian Thapa (Makaleng ward), Farayi Bonyongo (Nlaphwane ward), Robert Muzila and a male nurse currently employed in the civil service.
Muzila is understood to have returned back to the BDP after a short stint with the Botswana Movement for Democracy. He lost to Tibone in the past two BDP primaries.
The trio of Ngoma, Muzila and Bonyongo recently addressed a BDP rally in Moroka village which forms one of the constituency wards.
Whoever wins the BDP primaries will slug it out with Botswana Congress Party’s Dr Phillip Bulawa who has opened a constituency office in Masunga village in preparation for the 2014 general election.┬á
Another contestant in the constituency is Richard Gudu of the Umbrella for Democratic Change which will be officially launched in Francistown on September 22.
Other politicians who have already announced their resignations from active politics in Tati West constituency include current North East District Council (NEDC) chairman and Mapoka ward councillor City Kealotswe. It is currently unclear who will replace him in Mapoka and the names that are being linked to his possible replacement include former North West District Council Secretary Paulos Nkoni and Abel Thela. However sources close to Thela have disclosed that he will only contest if Nkoni opts out of the primaries.
