Africa-Press – Botswana. The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has completed council wards demarcation in Kgalagadi South constituency in preparation for the upcoming 2024 General Elections.
Updating Kgalagadi South Constituency Party Liaison Committee recently briefed councillors on the outcome of the demarcation committee which started the exercise on May 8 and ended on June 7, IEC principal elections officer Mr Norman Tshekiso said Council wards which were 14 during the 2019 General Elections had increased by six, which brought the total to 20 wards in the constituency.
He said preparations for the 2024 General Elections were thick on the ground, adding that the demarcation team embarked on wide consultation in the ditrict led by office of the district commissioner to assess the existing polling stations.
Mr Tshekiso said the voting framework needed to be clearly mapped out and defined in legislation to ensure integrity, equity to all voters and consistency in all polling districts.
The committee, he said, collected both verbal and written evidence from members of the public, political parties, organised groups from Kokotsha to Struizendam, gathering information on what the electorates wanted.
According to the principal elections officer, Draihoek/Makopong ward, had been divided into two to become Draihoek and Makopong respectively.
Werda council ward has been divided into two namely, Werda East and Werda West. Omaweneno/ Kisa/ Maralaleng had been divided into two namely, Omaweneno and Maralaleng/Kisa respectively.
Furthermore, he said Tsabong which had three council wards in the previous elections, now has four namely; Tsabong South, Tsabong North, Tsabong East and a newly introduced ward named Maubelo-McCarthy’s Rust.
Middlepits-Khuis ward has also been divided into two to become Middlepits and Khuis respectively.
Bokspits/Struizendam has also been divided into two to become Bokspits and Struizendam respectively.
He said the rest of the council wards such as Vaalhoek/Rapplespan, Khawa, Gakhibane, Bogogobo/Kolonkwaneng, Kokotsha and Bray remained unchanged.
Mr Tshekiso noted that they had also reassessed accessibility of polling stations and left some as they were, cancelled some, while some were moved to other areas based on accessibility of a polling station to electorates.
In the previous elections, he said, polling stations in the constituency were 65 and had now been increased to 67.
Most of the groundwork, he said, had been done to prepare for voter registration scheduled to commence on October 4-31, adding that registration officers shall be employed.
In Tsabong district, he said, 15 retired officers who were not actively involved in politics shall be given responsibility as election supervisors.
The youth would also be given opportunity to run elections paired with civil servants at each polling stations, he said.
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