Thapelo Letsholo | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament | |
| In office 2019 | |
| Finance and Estimates parliament committee (Chairman) | |
| Constituency | Kanye North |
Thapelo Letsholo is a Botswana politician and entrepreneur. He is the current elected Member of Parliament for Kanye North constituency as of 2019. [1] He is a member of the Botswana Democratic Party. [2] [3]
Thapelo Letsholo was born in Kanye,Botswana. He then attended his early education in Jwaneng,Botswana and his senior secondary education in Lobatse,Botswana. Letsholo studied Psychology and Organisational Psychology at the University of Cape Town (UCT) and graduated in 2000. He was the President of the UCT Psychology Association.[ citation needed ]
Letsholo began his career in the corporate sector in 2001,he worked for some companies and by year 2008,he had excelled to Corporate Affairs &Strategy Director at Kgalagadi Breweries Limited. Upon leaving corporate in 2011, [4] Letsholo established various entrepreneurial ventures including RedPepper PR &Communications Consultancy, [5] Best of Publishing, [6] and Kamoso Consulting and Drillonic. He also served as a Trustee in the Kgalagadi Beverages Trust Board of Trustees from 2011 to 2014.
Thapelo Letsholo began his political career in 2018 when he contested for Member of Parliament for Kanye North constituency in the Primary Elections that year and won. He then went on to represent the Botswana Democratic Party in the 2019 general elections [7] and won by a record breaking margin in the history of the constituency. [8]
Letsholo has had a number of Motions adopted by Parliament since coming into office,key among them include a Motion that the local distribution,courier and transportation of goods in Botswana be reserved for 100% citizen owned companies [9] and that all foreign transport and courier companies be only allowed a single drop off once they arrive in Botswana. [10] [11]
Letsholo is a member of the following committees of the Botswana Parliament: [12]
The Botswana Democratic Party is political party in Botswana. It was the ruling party of Botswana for 58 years,from independence in 1966 until the 2024 general election. Its chairman is Slumber Tsogwane and its symbol is a lift jack. The BDP is sometimes classified as a paternalistic conservative party,but it is also a consultative member of the Socialist International,a worldwide alliance of social-democratic parties. The BDP was shaped primarily by two of its founders,Seretse Khama and Quett Ketumile Masire. Traditional Setswana communities make up the party's base,which has led the BDP to remain a conservative movement.
Elections in Botswana take place within the framework of a multi-party democracy and a parliamentary system. The National Assembly is mostly directly elected,and in turn elects the President and some of its own members. The Ntlo ya Dikgosi is a mixture of appointed,hereditary and indirectly elected members.
Kanye is a village in southern Botswana,located 83 kilometres (52 mi) south-west of the capital,Gaborone. It is the administrative centre of the Southern District,and had a population of 48,028 as of the 2022 Population and Housing Census. This is an increase compared to the 45,196 of the 2011 census,making it the ninth-largest village in the country. Kanye is the traditional capital of the Ngwaketse tribe,who first settled in the area in the 1790s. The village is the longest continuously-occupied tribal capital in the country.
The National Assembly is the sole legislative body of Botswana's unicameral Parliament,of which consists of the President and the National Assembly. The House passes laws,provides ministers to form Cabinet,and supervises the work of government. It is also responsible for adopting the country's budgets. It is advised by the Ntlo ya Dikgosi,a council of tribal chiefs which is not a house of Parliament.
General elections were held in Botswana on 16 October 1999,alongside local elections. The result was an eighth straight victory for the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP),which increased its majority to 33 of the 40 elected seats in the National Assembly.
General elections were held in Botswana on 15 October 1994,alongside simultaneous local elections. The result was a victory for the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP),which had won every election since 1965. However,the elections also saw a strong performance from the Botswana National Front (BNF),which tripled its number of MPs and won all four seats in the capital Gaborone.
General elections were held in Botswana on 16 October 2009,alongside local elections,with early voting in 26 polling stations abroad taking place 3 October. The result was a tenth successive victory for the Botswana Democratic Party,which won 45 of the 57 elected seats in the National Assembly.
Margaret Nnananyana Nasha is a Botswana politician who served as the Speaker of the National Assembly from 2009 to 2014. She was the first woman to hold the position.
The Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD) is a political party in Botswana,founded in 2010 by MPs and other politicians who parted ways with the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) due to differences with Ian Khama,the leader of the BDP and the President of Botswana at the time.
General and local elections were held in Botswana on 24 October 2014. The result was an eleventh straight victory for the Botswana Democratic Party,which won 37 of the 57 elected seats. Incumbent President Ian Khama was sworn in for a second term on 28 October.
Gladys Keitumetse Theresa Kokorwe is a Botswana politician who was the Speaker of the National Assembly from 2014 to 2019. She is a member of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP).
Dumelang Saleshando is a Motswana politician and economist who has served as the Leader of the Botswana Congress Party since 2010. Saleshano is the current Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly of Botswana Since 1 November 2024.
Slumber Tsogwane is the Former Vice President of Botswana from April 2018 to November 2024. He is also former Member of Parliament for Boteti West. He is the longest serving Member of Parliament of the 12th Parliament of Botswana. He took office on 4 April 2018,succeeding Mokgweetsi Masisi. He is a member of the Botswana Democratic Party.
Benjamin Steinberg (1920–1975) was a Motswana cattle rancher and politician who was the first Treasurer of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) and the first White Batswana Member of Parliament in 1965.
General elections were held in Botswana on 23 October 2019 to elect MPs and local government councillors. Despite a high profile split in the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) in May 2019 when former President Ian Khama left the party and switched his support to the new Botswana Patriotic Front,the BDP's vote share increased to almost 53% as the party won 38 of the 57 elected seats in the National Assembly,a gain of one compared to the 2014 elections. The elections were the twelfth straight victory for the BDP.
Thapelo Matsheka is a Motswana politician and economist who served as the Minister of Finance and Economic Development from November 2019 to April 2021. He was elected as the Member of the National Assembly for Lobatse in October 2019. He is a member of the Botswana Democratic Party. Matsheka is the former Managing Director of Fiducia Services.
General elections were held in Botswana on 30 October 2024 to determine the composition of the 13th Parliament of Botswana as well as local councils across the country. Up for election were 61 seats of the National Assembly as well as 609 local council seats,all elected through the first-past-the-post voting system.
Thapelo Tsheole is a Botswana executive and entrepreneur. He is the chief executive officer of the Botswana Stock Exchange,chairman of Committee of SADC Stock Exchanges and president of the African Securities Exchanges.
Lobatse is a constituency represented in the National Assembly of Botswana.
