BDP in bare knuckled fights ahead of primaries
The battle for regional committee positions in the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) North West region has turned ugly, with members resorting to underhand tactics to gain support.
Tebogo Boalotswe and Judge Sango will battle it out for the North West region chairperson’s position on April 6, 2024. In the ongoing fight, some are even using the names of party leaders to lure members to vote for them.
To make matters worse, party leaders have been accused of bias and being embroiled in conflicts of interest.
On Sunday, the party chairperson, Slumber Tsogwane, held a meeting to address the concerns of members of the North West region. However, some members have expressed desire for the party president, Mokgweetsi Masisi to speak to them directly. The allegations of conflict of interest involve not only the party chairperson, Tsogwane, but also secretary-general, Kavis Kario. The trio, Tsogwane, Kario and Alec Seametso stand accused of having taken sides on the matter.
“In the North West region, some party members are unhappy with the current situation and feel that some party leaders are not able to deal with it effectively. They want the party president to come and listen to their concerns directly. These members claim that some members are disruptive and have too much influence and that the party leadership needs to intervene,” a source said.
According to a leaked audio doing the rounds, some members accuse the party chairperson of not knowing party procedures and that they do not want him to deal with them.
Furthermore, they accused Tsogwane of interference and favouring a certain individual whom he wants to win the race.
The angry member said the reason why the North West region is divided is because of interference that is happening in their area perpetuated by some party leaders.
He also accused the party chairperson of having been absent on how party structures are being run. Moreover, the angry member accused Tsogwane of having created enemies within the party and if he is not careful, the situation could ruin his chances of becoming the next President of the country.
On the other hand, Kario is also accused by the other team of favouring their opponents since he had failed to take action against them when they complained about their behaviour.
In an interview with Mmegi, the party spokesperson Kagelelo Kentse said: “Yes we have heard the circulating audio clip. The contents of the clip are very nauseating.
“The accusations and allegations levelled against party leaders are quite distasteful and unfortunate, especially for the public domain; disciplined democrats will know this. You cannot dare the organisation you claim to love and constitute under.” He said for a very long time they have been asking democrats to choose the proper platforms to vent their views.
Furthermore, he said everyone would agree with them that a
WhatsApp group even if it is only for party members, can never be the right platform.
Also, he revealed that they have cell, ward, and branch committees that party members could use for the central committee or even national congress.
He said there is no complete excuse for what the member did unless the ultimate plan is to embarrass the party. According to a source, the party chairperson has warned members at Sunday’s meeting to desist from using the party leadership’s name on their campaigns or fights.
“He told them that if they do not change their behaviour or continue fighting, then action would be taken against them or risk being suspended from the BDP,” the source said. Recently, Boalotswe wrote to the BDP central committee demanding disciplinary action against one Baefesia Sango.
Mmegi has learnt that Boalotswe believes that Baefesia is campaigning for his brother, Judge. The latter and Boalotswe are competing for the same region. The CC dismissed the complaint because, “we accordingly advise that you consider formally lodging your complaint backed with evidentiary and/or detailed record of occurrences with the regional disciplinary committee or in its absence the national disciplinary committee. A copy of the complaint to the indicted (Sango) would also suffice to accord him the opportunity to defend himself.” Still, a letter dated February 13, 2024, written by party secretary-general, Kario stated his complaint refers to Boalotswe’s function as a member of the labour and wellness sub-committee of the BDP. According to the letter, in that regard, Boalotswe was advised that the committee for which he is a member was established according to Article 33.1 of the constitution of the BDP and the terms of reference of the labour and wellness committee.