After being rejected by Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) in favor of Peggy Serame as the candidate for the Goodhope-Mmathethe constituency, Dr. Edwin Dikoloti has turned down multiple invitations from opposition parties ahead of the October election. Sources within Dr Dikoloti’s inner circle confirmed the health minister’s refusal to align with opposition parties, citing a strong desire to “preserve his BDP supporters.” According to these insiders, Dr Dikoloti remains deeply committed to his followers, many of whom have urged him to contest the elections as an independent candidate. He is reportedly considering this option rather than severing ties with the ruling party entirely, an insider said.
One of Dr Dikoloti’s aides said, “He believes running as an independent will allow him to retain the support base he has cultivated within the BDP. He feels leaving the party entirely and joining the opposition could risk alienating those who have stood by him.”
In private discussions, Dr Dikoloti is said to have expressed a desire for personal peace, stating that aligning with the opposition would “dilute and compromise his struggle.” According to our source, one factor was that “some of these political parties had already fielded candidates and appeared willing to recall them in favour of Dikoloti and Dikoloti’s view was that he would not want anybody to suffer a similar injustice to what he was being subjected to at the BDP.”
Some senior advisors it is understood reminded Dr Dikoloti’s that “the ruling party still holds sway over its long-serving members, even in moments of political turbulence”.
The opposition’s efforts to recruit Dikoloti came at a time when internal divisions within the BDP had become more pronounced, with disgruntled party members increasingly considering alternative political avenues. Many of them it is understood were of the view that the candidacy of Dikoloti was highly likely to win them the constituency given his popularity and prevailing atmosphere.
Dikoloti, born and bred in Digawana village, indeed commands a huge following in the area. In the 2019 general elections he convincingly won the constituency with 12,069 votes, defeating the UDC’s Dr. Prince Dibeela, who garnered 5,350 votes, and Botswana Patriotic Front’s Dr. Tadubana Themba, who received 505 votes. Notwithstanding that performance, the BDP leadership dumped him for specially elected member, Peggy Serame, despite Dr Dikoloti having beaten her by over 1,000 votes in the party’s primary elections. Serame, often seen as the leadership’s favored candidate had lodged a complaint which mysteriously handed her the constituency. The BDP’s Central Committee decided to bypass primary elections in GoodHope-Mmathethe, citing time constraints. The BDP Secretary General Kavis Kario explained the decision, pointing to the short period before nomination day for the upcoming general elections on October 30, 2024.
In the letter, Kario stated that the Central Committee had invoked Regulation 13(b) of the Party’s Primary Election Regulations, which allows the committee to nominate a candidate when holding primaries is considered “unworkable.” He wrote, “The Central Committee determined that the laid down procedure for holding primary elections is therefore unworkable and thus invoked Regulation 13b to nominate Peggy Serame as its candidate for the upcoming general elections.”
The once-loyal BDP stalwart has been grappling with the party’s decision to back Serame over him, but some observers say he could have sought cover under one of the existing political parties and negotiated his way to the contest seat. “As a loner he may now need to double his efforts. More so that the BDP will now be unleashing everything against him. This now has turned into a high-stakes battle and no party wants to lose it,” said one.
This publication has established that Dr Dikoloti will mount his campaign next week where he will also make key pronouncements regarding his race and future. Efforts to contact Dr Dikoloti were futile as his phone was off at the time of going for press.