Menu
Home Explore People Places Arts History Plants & Animals Science Life & Culture Technology
On this page
Gaborone Central
Parliamentary constituency in Gaborone

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.

Related Image Collections Add Image
Profiles
1 Image
We don't have any YouTube videos related to Gaborone Central yet.
We don't have any PDF documents related to Gaborone Central yet.
We don't have any Books related to Gaborone Central yet.
We don't have any archived web articles related to Gaborone Central yet.

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., it usually is won with large 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.12 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 electionMichael Dingake
1999 electionMargaret Nasha
2004 electionDumelang Saleshando
2009 election
2014 electionPhenyo Butale
2019 electionTumisang Healy
2024 electionPhenyo Butale

Election results

2024 election

General election 2024: Gaborone Central4
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
UDCPhenyo Butale 5,493 47.30 +16.89
BCPMpho Pheko3,11226.80N/A
BDPBontsi Monare2,82624.34−23.82
BPFKemmonye Sekati1221.05N/A
BMDMagdeline Nkumba350.30N/A
IndependentJafta Radibe240.21+0.05
Margin of victory2,38120.50N/A
Total valid votes11,61298.80−0.76
Rejected ballots1411.20+0.76
Turnout11,75376.41−2.88
Registered electors15,381
UDC gain from BDPSwing+21.85

2019 election

General election 2019: Gaborone Central5
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
BDPTumisang Healy 4,886 48.16 +20.54
UDCMpho Pheko3,08530.41−9.41
APPhenyo Butale2,10620.76N/A
IndependentLetsweletse Moses530.52N/A
IndependentJafta Radibe160.16N/A
Margin of victory1,80117.75N/A
Total valid votes10,14699.56−0.03
Rejected ballots450.44+0.03
Turnout10,19179.29−3.31
Registered electors12,853
BDP gain from UDCSwing+14.98

2014 election

General election 2014: Gaborone Central6
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
UDCPhenyo Butale 4,601 39.82 N/A
BCPDumelang Saleshando3,72732.26−29.49
BDPRupert Hambira3,19127.62+0.68
IndependentSidney Baitsile350.30N/A
Margin of victory8747.56N/A
Total valid votes11,55499.53+1.52
Rejected ballots550.47−1.52
Turnout11,60982.60+6.34
Registered electors14,054
UDC gain from BCPSwing+34.66

2009 election

General election 2009: Gaborone Central7
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
BCPDumelang Saleshando 6,102 61.75 +23.87
BDPKgomotso Mogami2,66226.94−9.79
BNFCalvin Thutlwe1,11811.31−12.96
Margin of victory3,44034.81+33.66
Total valid votes9,88298.01−1.65
Rejected ballots2011.99+1.65
Turnout10,08376.26+0.05
Registered electors13,222
BCP holdSwing+16.83

2004 election

General election 2004: Gaborone Central8
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
BCPDumelang Saleshando 2,992 37.88 +21.58
BDPMargaret Nasha2,90136.73−10.82
BNFKathleen Letshabo1,91724.27−6.80
NDFViolet Mphuting891.13N/A
Margin of victory911.15N/A
Total valid votes7,89999.66+0.47
Rejected ballots340.34−0.47
Turnout7,92676.21+1.80
Registered electors10,400
BCP gain from BDPSwing+16.20

1999 election

General election 1999: Gaborone Central9
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
BDPMargaret Nasha 2,868 47.55 +9.07
BNFMareledi Giddie1,87431.07−29.37
BCPMichael Dingake98316.30N/A
BAMEphraim Setshwaelo2934.86N/A
MELSThemba Joina130.22N/A
Margin of victory99416.48N/A
Total valid votes6,03199.19N/A
Rejected ballots490.81N/A
Turnout6,08074.41−3.60
Registered electors8,171
BDP gain from BNFSwing+19.22

1994 election

General election 1994: Gaborone Central10
PartyCandidateVotes%
BNFMichael Dingake 3,490 60.44
BDPG.U.S. Matlhabaphiri2,22238.48
UDFMareledi Giddie621.07
Margin of victory1,26821.96
Turnout5,77478.01%
Registered electors7,402
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. 978-1-84701-312-5 ↩

  2. "Botswana: Saleshando Wins But BDP Protests". Mmegi. 1 November 2004. https://allafrica.com/stories/200411010992.html ↩

  3. 2022 DELIMITATION COMMISSION REPORT (PDF). 2022. p. 59. https://www.iec.gov.bw/images/2022_Delimitation_Final_Report.pdf ↩

  4. "Butale wins Gaborone Central". DailyNews. 31 October 2024. https://dailynews.gov.bw/news-detail/82867 ↩

  5. Independent Electoral Commission - Botswana National Assembly, 2019 https://www.iec.gov.bw/images/Botswana_2019_General_Elections_REPORT(1).pdf ↩

  6. Independent Electoral Commission - Botswana National Assembly, 2014 https://www.iec.gov.bw/images/documents/2014%20General%20Elections%20Report.pdf ↩

  7. Independent Electoral Commission - Botswana National Assembly, 2009 https://www.iec.gov.bw/images/2009_report.pdf ↩

  8. Independent Electoral Commission - Botswana National Assembly, 2004 https://web.archive.org/web/20090903011350/http://www.iec.gov.bw/elections/IEC%20Botswana_Report%20Book_3.pdf ↩

  9. Independent Electoral Commission - Botswana National Assembly, 1999 https://www.iec.gov.bw/images/documents/1999_General_Elections_Report.pdf ↩

  10. Results by constituency http://www.electionpassport.com/files/BW/BW.xlsx ↩