Divisions rock BNF ship
Trouble is brewing within the opposition Botswana National Front ( BNF), following the decision by its President, Advocate Duma Boko to block one of the regional congresses which was to usher in new leadership.
The BNF leader ordered that there shouldn’t be any regional congresses after North Central Region wrote a letter to him seeking intervention due to divisions within the region. There have been suspensions and counter suspensions within the North Central regional committee. The committee suspended its Secretary, Moitlamo Raphane for misconduct. Raphane is one of the lieutenants of Advocate Boko within the BNF. While on suspension, another faction sympathetic to him suspended Regional Chairman, Kabo Ketshogile. The North Central region has nine ( 9) Constituencies.
Raphane was suspended in July this year for alleged misappropriation of party funds, dragging the name of the party into disrepute and unauthorised activity causing division and instability in the region, behaving in a grossly disorderly way, abusive and insulting language to other members in the region. The division within the BNF central committee is said to have escalated to other party structures like the regional and branch committees, BNF Youth League and Women’s League. The Women’s league recently expelled three ( 3) of its members from the committee including its Vice President. The youth league is currently failing to replace its former President, Kgosidintsi who resigned from the youth league and its vice president is currently a 39 years old while the party constitution stipulates that a BNF Youth League members should be below the age of 39. There are fears that if regional congresses are not held they would possibly be held in 2025. There are some members who are said to be against the recognition of new regions being Klass Motshidisi region and Kenneth Koma region which were adopted during the party’s conference. Adv Boko in the letter of intervention stated that he has noted that there are serious issues in the whole region of North Central that require thorough investigation and urgent action by the party. He said the issues present a clear and imminent danger to both the BNF and Umbrella for Democratic Change ( UDC) if they are left unattended. “I will present these issues at the next meeting of the Central Committee. Until the Central Committee or my office reverts to you, no activities are to be taken. For the avoidance of any doubt, no regional congresses are to be held either by 19th August 2023 or any other day,” said Adv Boko. Before Adv Boko wrote the letter of intervention another faction within the North Central regional committee held a meeting in which it cancelled Raphane’s suspension and reinstated him. The faction went on to suspend its Chairman, Ketshogile for allegedly misleading the BNF National Conference that was held in Shoshong during the President Holidays in July this year. He was accused of falsely telling the conference that the region had taken a resolution barring BNF members from obtaining UDC membership cards.
Regional Chairman, Ketshogile confirmed that there has been a request for the president to intervene in their issues. He said he is not in a position to discuss the matter as it is still with the party leadership and can only discuss internal party matter at the right time.