BPF warring factions in reconciliation talks
The warring factions in the Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) National Executive Committee (NEC) and some suspended party members are in agreement that reconciliation needs to happen, Mmegi has learnt.
The BPF has not known peace for quite some time now and the differences have been at the leadership level. Currently, there are two factions within the BPF, one led by former president Ian Khama’s family and the other one led by former Tati East Member of Parliament, Samson Moyo Guma. The two factions are fighting for the control of the party. Even though the Khama family is in self-imposed exile, it is still running the affairs of the BPF, a matter the Guma faction is against.
The team’s view is that members should be taking party decisions instead of taking instructions from the Khama family. But some members believe that the party has made it so far due to the Khama factor, therefore the family cannot be kicked out of its ‘own’ party.
In an interview, Serowe North Member of Parliament (MP), Baratiwa Mathoothe said: “It is true negotiations for reconciliation have started this month. This involves NEC members and suspended members. The problem within the BPF is at the NEC level but not the lower party structures and all the parties have admitted that. Currently, all the BPF activities are on hold to allow the reconciliation process to go on smoothly. The negotiations are led by four people whom we cannot disclose until the reconciliation process is over.”
He said one of the conditions that the parties have agreed on is to protect those who are handling their issues in order to bring peace among the leadership. Mathoothe also said even the BPF legislators are not allowed to convene party meetings or anything that might disturb the ongoing process. He said the reason why some of the leadership members have stopped attending Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) NEC meetings is for the sake of the reconciliation process which has begun.
In addition, Mathoothe said they believe that the negotiations would bear fruits and might help to unite the party. He said the negotiations are expected to be completed before the end of this month.
He continued: “All we want to see as members is to have a united party that will be able to deliver and work with others. As MPs, we strongly believe that the four mediators will help a lot. Both parties have not rejected the four members or shown any discomfort. So far, we understand meetings are going well.”
Recently, Mathoothe also emphasised that there is no winner in a case in which acting party president Caroline Lesang had taken the suspended BPF president Biggie Butale to court. Lesang had asked for the court’s pronouncement on who is the party president and also to interdict both Butale and party secretary-general (SG) Tshekedi Khama to stop making parallel statements from what the NEC would have agreed.
Butale lost the court case at the Lobatse High Court. “There is no winner in this case because the fight was between three party leaders.
As MPs for the party, we had agreed to find ways to sit down with the two parties in order to solve their differences. Political issues cannot be fought in court so we have to resolve them internally. What is important is that the two factions have to meet and reach a compromise on some of the issues,” Mathoothe said after the court decision.