Gaborone, November 7, 2024: As Botswana’s historic first change of government in almost six decades wraps-up, the National Assembly has elected Helen Pushie Manyeneng the Deputy Speaker of the 13th Parliament.
On 6 November, elected parliamentarians voted for six Special Elected Members of Parliament (SEMP), half of whom were women. This brought women’s representation in the National Assembly to six our of 68; or 8.8%, down from 11% in 2019: the lowest in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. The inauguration of the President will take place at the national stadium in Gaborone on 8 November. Several heads of states, including the SADC Chairperson and Zimbabwe President Emmerson Munangagwa, are expected to attend.
Manyeneng is the second woman, after the late Gladys Kokorwe, to hold the post since independence in 1966. Dr Margaret Nasha, who famously coined the phrase “Madam Speaker, Sir”, served as Speaker in the 9th Parliament.
Manyeneng, the ruling Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Mmopane Metsimotlhabe, won the seat with 43 votes against 21 of Dr Unity Dow of the main opposition Botswana Congress Party (BCP). Dow is the MP for Kgatleng West.
Earlier, Parliament endorsed President Advocate Duma Gideon Bokos’s nomination of Dithapelo Koorapetse, the Speaker. Koorapetse, who was Leader of Opposition in the 12th Parliament, is a political scientist. The House also elected the leader of UDC member-party, Alliance for Progressives, Ndaba Nkosinathi Gaolathe, the Vice President of Botswana.
The highest ranking woman in the current Parliament, Manyeneng is one of the more than 100 women who participated in the International IDEA supported Gender Links Women’s Political Participation (WPP) Academies, which has been running since 2021.
A nurse by profession, Manyeneng went into active politics after being sacked, along with hundreds of other health workers, for participating in Botswana’s longest public servants strike of 2011. A gender activist of note, Manyeneng was part of a panel that drafted the Women’s submission to the Presidential Commission on constitutional review, ‘Molao-motheo, Bua Mme”. She is also a successful businesswomen, driving the women’s business advocacy program.
Dow is human rights lawyer, longtime gender activist, who first made headlines in the early 1990s when she litigated against the Botswana government denying citizenship to children born foreign fathers and Batswana women. She was the first woman judge and also served as a minister in the Ian Khama and Mokgweetsi Masisi administrations. She crossed over from BDP to BCP last year.
One of the only three elected women MPs, is Maipelo Mophuting, who won the Gaborone Bonnington North constituency under the UDC ticket. Mophuting is an award winning women’s development advocate, who was bestowed the 2024 Global Icon Award in Doha Qatar.
A new comer to local politics, Mophuting was one of the surprise winners as she first had to battle against internal resistance and de-campaigning by supporters of veteran politicians she defeated in the primaries. The Kanye-born activist has made her mark mainly in the international development space, serving in among other institutions, the African Parliamentary Network on Illicit Financial Flows and Taxation (APNIFFT).
The three women Specially Elected MPs (SEMPs) are Bogolo Kenewendo, Nono Kgafela-Mokoka and Lesego Chombo. The purpose of the SEMP is to allow latitude for the filling of gaps – skills, diversity and any other consideration to advance democratic ideals.
Kenewendo, a 37-year old economist is making a second appearance, having come through on the same special dispensation that allows for the head of state to nominate six individuals in 2017.
The then president Ian Khama appointed Kenewendo as Minister of Trade, but president Mokgweetsi Masisi dropped her after 2019 elections, due to divisions within the then ruling BDP. In the October 30 general elections, the BDP won only four seats.
None of the seven women candidates from the party made it, underscoring the extent to which the First Past the Post (FPTP) electoral system works against women in heavily contested elections, as they tend not to be fielded in “safe seats” for their parties.
The reigning Miss World Africa, Lesego Chombo’s election as SEMP had the social media platforms talking, with some dismissing it as the UDC government attempt to ride on her popularity, especially among the youth. Supporters of Chombo’s vote pointed to the fact that 26-year old was not recognized as a beauty queen. She is a lawyer of the High Court, children’s rights activist and philanthropist.
Nono Kgafela-Mokoka UDC Gender coordinator, academic and seasoned politician comes in after losing the Kgatleng East constituency by a small margin of 20, to a former BDP minister, Mabuse Pule. She is the national chairperson of the UDC member party, Botswana Peoples Party, an academic and the first Motswana woman to referee boxing.
Gender Links, which has a special focus on local government, set up a women’s observatory for the elections after undertaking training academies in four regions of Botswana. The Academies included inter-generational programs, where seasoned politicians mentored aspiring political participants. Half of the 14 council candidates who participated in the programme won their seats.
In Francistown, Dimpho Phirinyane and Nametso Lillian Griesmer won Phillip Matante and Central wards respectively. Felicity Keleeme is the new councilor Mogapinyana ward in Tswapong North constituency.
Three of Maun West constituency WPP councilors are Gaolefufa Nawa, Maina Moruimang and Tebogo Moya. In the deep rural Maun North constituency, Tshabang Paul was the winner of Sankuyo ward.
Gender Links is still trying to get sex disaggregated data on the local government elections from the Botswana Independent Electoral Commission.
Gender Links also had election monitors and media monitors on the ground during the Botswana 2024 election, and will publish Gender Audit as well as the Media Monitoring results before end of November.
For more information, please contact Pamela Dube on +267-77132086