BDP member sues another
The Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) Kweneng regional chairperson, Driver Motlokwa intends to sue his regional secretary Obakeng Kgabo for defamation. The intended lawsuit emanated from the BDP Mogoditshane branch committee differences that forced the party central committee to intervene. However, it has since emerged that some committee members were not in agreement with the decisions they reached and started to back stab each other at the party leadership level.
This week, Motlokwa approached his attorneys to file a defamation case against Kgabo. “It is true I am taking Kgabo to court because he has been tarnishing my name at the party leadership. He is the one who has been going around telling people that I am dividing the party members in the area. Again he has spread rumours that I am anti-President Mokgweetsi Masisi and I am campaigning for party secretary-general Mpho Balopi.
All the members whom he had told have written letters as my witnesses. The reason why he has been doing all that is because we were not agreeing on a number of issues regarding the behaviour and how Mogoditshane issues were being handled. I had warned him to stop taking sides when we have issues to resolve as the committee but he seems to have not taken it well,” Motlokwa said.
He said what hurt him most is the fact that Kgabo is now using some names of people in party leadership to de-campaign them in the coming regional congress and lure votes.
He said some members have started to label him as a person who wants to push out the President and wish him (President) bad. Motlokwa said Kgabo has let his judgement to be clouded by what was happening at the Mogoditshane branch committee since he started to behave as if he is part of the branch committee.
He continued: “I have tried to ask Kgabo to desist from tarnishing my name but he seems to be enjoying doing that. I had no option but to take this step.” For his part, Kgabo said he is not aware that his chairperson is intending to sue.
“I know we have not been agreeing on some resolutions regarding the Mogoditshane branch committee. I don’t remember saying anything that could amount to defamation to the chairperson.
To my understanding, we have been working well even if we are not agreeing on the matter because it is bound to happen in the committee as we cannot agree at all times,” Kgabo said in an interview on Wednesday.
Kgabo was accused of supporting Mogoditshane branch members who are anti-Mogoditshane chairperson Percy Tshuba while Motlokwa was said to be in support of Tshuba.
The Kweneng regional congress is supposed to happen immediately after all branches in the region had renewed their mandates.