Gaborone Central

Last updated
Gaborone Central
Single-member constituency
for the National Assembly
District Gaborone
Population47,291
Major settlements Gaborone
Area23 km2
Current constituency
Created1994
Party  UDC
Created from Gaborone South
Gaborone North
MP Phenyo Butale
Margin of victory 2,381 (20.5 pp)

Gaborone Central is a constituency in Gaborone represented in the National Assembly of Botswana by the Minister of International Affairs, Phenyo Butale of the Umbrella for Democratic Change since the 2024 general election.

Contents

Constituency profile

The constituency was created in 1994 as part of an expansion that increased the number of Gaborone constituencies from two to four. It is the swingiest seat in the country, having only re-elected an incumbent once. The constituency is not necessarily marginal i.e., usually being won by small majorities. Despite electing MPs with large majorities, these majorities are frequently easily overturned from one election to the next. The constituency serves as a bellwether of national electoral trends, with the notable exceptions of 2004 and 2009, when Dumelang Saleshando, the future leader of the Botswana Congress Party (BCP), ran a well-organized and "high-profile" campaign in 2004 and became the party’s sole MP in the 9th Parliament. [1] [2] He was re-elected in 2009 with the largest majority ever recorded in the constituency—35 percentage points.

However, at the 2014 general election, Saleshando's large majority was overturned as he lost the seat to Phenyo Butale of the UDC who benefitted from a combination of sympathy votes following the death of the initial UDC candidate, the Botswana Movement for Democracy leader, Gomolemo Motswaledi in July, as well as voter dissatisfaction with Saleshando and the BCP for not joining the UDC to form a united opposition against the BDP.

Since its creation, the BDP has won the constituency only twice (1999 and 2019), both times with less than 50% of the vote. The constituency is entirely urban and contains a diverse mix of communities. It is home to both the nation's wealthiest suburbs and the city's most impoverished neighbourhoods, as well as the University of Botswana and a Botswana Defence Force encampment. The kaleidoscopic nature of the constituency means it's home to many swing voters and explains its political volatility.

It encompasses the following locations: [3]

  1. Station Mall
  2. Main Mall
  3. Botswelelo
  4. Phologolo
  5. Madibeng
  6. Partial
  7. Tshimotharo
  8. Ginger
  9. Maruapula
  10. Broadhurst
  11. Extension 39
  12. Village
  13. Badiri
  14. Government Enclave

Members of Parliament

Key:  BNF   BDP   BCP   UDC   UDC

ElectionWinner
1994 election Michael Dingake
1999 election Margaret Nasha
2004 election Dumelang Saleshando
2009 election
2014 election Phenyo Butale
2019 election Tumisang Healy
2024 election Phenyo Butale

Election results

2024 election

General election 2024: Gaborone Central [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
UDC Phenyo Butale 5,493 47.30 +16.89
BCP Mpho Pheko3,11226.80N/A
BDP Bontsi Monare2,82624.34−23.82
BPF Kemmonye Sekati1221.05N/A
BMD Magdeline Nkumba350.30N/A
Independent Jafta Radibe240.21+0.05
Margin of victory2,38120.50N/A
Total valid votes11,61298.80−0.76
Rejected ballots1411.20+0.76
Turnout 11,75376.41−2.88
Registered electors 15,381
UDC gain from BDP Swing +21.85

2019 election

General election 2019: Gaborone Central [5]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
BDP Tumisang Healy 4,886 48.16 +20.54
UDC Mpho Pheko3,08530.41−9.41
AP Phenyo Butale 2,10620.76N/A
Independent Letsweletse Moses530.52N/A
Independent Jafta Radibe160.16N/A
Margin of victory1,80117.75N/A
Total valid votes10,14699.56−0.03
Rejected ballots450.44+0.03
Turnout 10,19179.29−3.31
Registered electors 12,853
BDP gain from UDC Swing +14.98

2014 election

General election 2014: Gaborone Central [6]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
UDC Phenyo Butale 4,601 39.82 N/A
BCP Dumelang Saleshando 3,72732.26−29.49
BDP Rupert Hambira3,19127.62+0.68
Independent Sidney Baitsile350.30N/A
Margin of victory8747.56N/A
Total valid votes11,55499.53+1.52
Rejected ballots550.47−1.52
Turnout 11,60982.60+6.34
Registered electors 14,054
UDC gain from BCP Swing +34.66

2009 election

General election 2009: Gaborone Central [7]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
BCP Dumelang Saleshando 6,102 61.75 +23.87
BDP Kgomotso Mogami2,66226.94−9.79
BNF Calvin Thutlwe1,11811.31−12.96
Margin of victory3,44034.81+33.66
Total valid votes9,88298.01−1.65
Rejected ballots2011.99+1.65
Turnout 10,08376.26+0.05
Registered electors 13,222
BCP hold Swing +16.83

2004 election

General election 2004: Gaborone Central [8]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
BCP Dumelang Saleshando 2,992 37.88 +21.58
BDP Margaret Nasha 2,90136.73−10.82
BNF Kathleen Letshabo1,91724.27−6.80
NDF Violet Mphuting891.13N/A
Margin of victory911.15N/A
Total valid votes7,89999.66+0.47
Rejected ballots340.34−0.47
Turnout 7,92676.21+1.80
Registered electors 10,400
BCP gain from BDP Swing +16.20

1999 election

General election 1999: Gaborone Central [9]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
BDP Margaret Nasha 2,868 47.55 +9.07
BNF Mareledi Giddie1,87431.07−29.37
BCP Michael Dingake 98316.30N/A
BAM Ephraim Setshwaelo2934.86N/A
MELS Themba Joina130.22N/A
Margin of victory99416.48N/A
Total valid votes6,03199.19N/A
Rejected ballots490.81N/A
Turnout 6,08074.41−3.60
Registered electors 8,171
BDP gain from BNF Swing +19.22

1994 election

General election 1994: Gaborone Central [10]
PartyCandidateVotes%
BNF Michael Dingake 3,490 60.44
BDP G.U.S. Matlhabaphiri2,22238.48
UDF Mareledi Giddie621.07
Margin of victory1,26821.96
Turnout 5,77478.01%
Registered electors 7,402
BNF win (new seat)

References

  1. ↑ Good, Kenneth (2008). Diamonds, Dispossession and Democracy in Botswana. Boydell & Brewer. p. 30. doi:10.7722/j.ctt1bh2kzv. ISBN   978-1-84701-312-5.
  2. ↑ "Botswana: Saleshando Wins But BDP Protests". Mmegi. 1 November 2004.
  3. ↑ 2022 DELIMITATION COMMISSION REPORT (PDF). 2022. p. 59.
  4. ↑ "Butale wins Gaborone Central". DailyNews. 31 October 2024.
  5. ↑ Independent Electoral Commission - Botswana National Assembly, 2019
  6. ↑ Independent Electoral Commission - Botswana National Assembly, 2014
  7. ↑ Independent Electoral Commission - Botswana National Assembly, 2009
  8. ↑ Independent Electoral Commission - Botswana National Assembly, 2004
  9. ↑ Independent Electoral Commission - Botswana National Assembly, 1999
  10. ↑ Results by constituency
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.