Kanjabanga joins race for BNF presidency

Gantsi Congress that stated that all those who had been expelled and wanted to rejoin the BNF can do so through their wards and branches.

“I re-applied for admission sometimes in 2017. I joined through my well-known ward being Tsogang Ward in Gaborone North Constituency. This has been my constituency for years and I have not changed.” However is fact is being disputed by the BNF.

BNF Information and Publicity Secretary, Justin Hunyepa said as far as he knows Kanjabanga is not a member of the BNF. He said he does not remember Kanjabanga having re-joined the party following his expulsion during the Mahalapye Special Congress.

But Kanjabanga says some people might not be aware of him rejoining the BNF because at the time he joined he was not an active member like any other member within the party who are not active but are members in good standing. He said he decided to take up the challenge for the top post so that he could help revive the party and its ideals.

“I have been a member of the BNF since then. I have been observing on the sideline developments within the party. The thinking that is there is for organisational and political structures revival.

“We want to restore BNF for what it is known for - a policy-based and ideals driven organisation. We want internal processes to be fully functional,” said Kanjabanga when responding to their lobby list tagline ‘BNF Agenda;

Fulfilling Dr. Koma’s dream.’

He said the BNF has to rise to the challenge to prove that it is an alternative government.

He said they want to put emphasis on political education for BNF cadres which the BNF is known for to infuse the spirit of working as a unit and work that the nation can critique as a collective.

So far in the lobby list Kanjabanga has Dr. Cosmos Moenga as Vice President, Tiro Sebina as Secretary General and Sam Moesi as Deputy Secretary General. “The list will be finalised on Saturday,” said a source.

Kanjabanga will not be trying his luck for a top post within the BNF Central Committee for the first time. He once challenged Olebile Gaborone for the Vice Presidency following his fallout with then President Otswelese Moupo in 2007 after having been allies since the 2001 elective congress.

Cde Ga as Kanjabanga is affectionately known within Puo-Phaa was expelled from the party in May 2012. The decision was taken at the BNF special congress held in Mahalapye in 2012 when the party leadership argued as reasons for expulsion that Kanjabanga was making the BNF ungovernable.

He had many legal battles with the BNF as an applicant and when he represented some disgruntled members of the party. Cases included among others challenging the membership of the President Boko and the use of the BNF symbol in Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) emblem.