GABORONE - Inconclusive election is a rare occurance in Botswana. But in comparison, it is like an inconclusive FA Cup in England where the teams emerge from the pitch knowing that another fight is eminent.

The difference with the FA Cup is that if the game was played on a Saturday, three days later, on a Wednesday, the teams would battle it out to resolve the stalemate.

Here, in an election situation, the candidates will take long to know the date of another fight.

A writ for local government election is issued by the Minister of Local Government.

Currently, there is no such minister because the general elections were just concluded on Saturday.

The country has members of Parliament designates. It is from these elected representatives that ministers will be appointed.

The appointment of the cabinet traditionally follows the swearing-in of the President and that of the MPs as well as the appointment of specially elected ones.

For Messrs Patrick Hersey and Phillip Lebotse who recorded a historic 431 tie at the Moshawana Ward in Mochudi on Saturday, it will be a long wait.

In the past, a toss of a coin was used to resolve the stalemate. It happened in Gaborone in the seventies when the BDPs Keitumele Gabonewe had drawn with a BNFs Sekate Mmusi at Bontleng.

A thebe coin was used to separate the two.

Since that day, a primary school at White City officially became Thebe Primary School because of the use of a thebe coin to resolve a stalemate in an election situation.

That law has since been replaced by the one which requires a by-election. Mr Daniel Kwelagobe recalls that the use of a coin to decide the outcome of an election was discontinued because it was felt it denied the electorate to choose their representative.

While in suspense, Mr Lebotse and Mr Hersey will have to reorganise themselves to break the deadlock. It will require hard work and a strategic plan to win the re-run.

Moshawana is a ward which has previously changed hands between BDP, BNF and BCP.

Way back in the seventies, when Greek Ruele was still the areas MP, it was represented by the BDPs Mrs Basin Phometsi.

The BNF captured it later through Mr Lebotse who held on for 10 years.

Following the split in the BNF, Mr Lebotse crossed the floor to the BCP.

He lost the election that followed the formation of the BCP to the BNFs Leagajang Kgetse. Kgetse later crossed to the NDF.

Following the general elections that followed the formation of the NDF, Mr Lebotse recaptured the ward. Mr Lebotse is an experienced politician who hates the politics of mudslinging.

He says he is ready for a by-election.

Even if the by-election was tomorrow, I would still be ready for it, he said, adding, I would have won this election had it not been that five of my supporters had to travel to Serowe on the eve of the elections for the funeral of a relative.

His wish is that, the BNF candidate, Mr Isaac Kgetse who was voted for by 364 voters would participate in the by-election.

His fear is that should the BNF candidate decide not to participate, the majority of that partys supporters would most likely opt to vote for the BDP candidate because of the rivalry between the BNF and BCP.

Interestingly, Mr Lebotse and Mr Hersey come from different wards of Mochudi but are both residents at Rampedi ward.

Standing from Mr Herseys home, a 300 metre long horsepipe can water a garden inside Mr Lebotses yard.

At the age of 50, Mr Hersey remains confident of winning the by-election.

He joined politics after he retired from the Francistown College of Education where he was a teacher.

He said had Mr Kgetse had enough time to campaign in the election, the outcome would have been different.

Mr Kgetse entered the race less than a month before the election to fill the vacancy created by the death of the other Kgetse who died a few days before the writ of election was issued.

To be honest, Kgetse did not have enough time to prepare and yet he managed to have such a big number of votes. But judging from work-rate, I had expected to win this election. For me, it is a temporary setback, he said.

The other important thing in the coming by-election is to woo the seven people who voted for Mr Daniel Modimakwane who contested as an independent candidate. BOPA.