BDP, BCP marriage of convenience ousts council duo
FRANCISTOWN: The chairperson of Tutume District Council (TDC), Thatayaone Kehitile and his deputy, Tabona Masole were relieved of their positions following a vote of no confidence, Tuesday this week. Kehitile, the Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) councillor for Dukwi village and Masole, the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) Marobela councillor, faced an unusual alliance as members of the opposition Botswana Congress Party (BCP) and the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) jointly supported the motion for their removal.
The political rivals voted in support of the motion to expel Kehitile and Masole from office.
The collaboration between the traditionally opposing BCP and BDP highlights the growing discord within the opposition bloc, not only in Tutume but throughout the country. Since the BCP announced its departure from the UDC, signalling an irreparable rift, tensions between the former allies have persisted.
The anticipated collapse of the UDC’s influence in Tutume was not unexpected, especially given a prior unsuccessful attempt to oust its representatives. The council, situated in the heart of the Nkange constituency, is perceived as wielding considerable influence, potentially swaying
power dynamics leading up to the 2024 General Election. In the previous election, the UDC, under BCP leadership, secured the parliamentary
seat. The incumbent MP, Never Tshabang, was formerly affiliated with the BCP but switched to the UDC when confronted with a choice between his original party and the coalition.
Rather than uniting against a common ‘enemy’ being the ruling BDP, the BCP aligned with the ruling party councillors to oust its former allies from the council positions. The motion altering the council’s leadership was presented during the ongoing TDC full council session by Norman Pitlagano, the BDP councillor for the Nswazwi-Makuta ward.
While this marks not the first attempt by the BDP to table a vote of no confidence against Kehitile and Masole, this time, their resilience faltered against the joint force of the BCP and BDP determined to effect a change in power.
Dagwi councillor Million Masumbika (BCP) and Wabuya Chebani (BDP) from Nshakashogwe village were elected as the new TDC chairperson and deputy chairperson, respectively.
In a prior council session, Pitlagano argued for the removal of the duo due to “dereliction of duty.” The vote resulted in 17 councillors in favour of the removal and five against, with only four councillors reportedly absent during the voting process. Kehitile and Masole acknowledged the outcome, expressing their belief in the fairness of the vote, and announced their intention to vacate their positions. Kehitile, speaking to Mmegi, attributed their removal to collusion between the BDP and the BCP, stating that they could not lead a minority.