‘Rogue’ Butale to continue his BPF meetings despite ruling
Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) founding president, Biggie Butale has suffered yet another loss this Tuesday, when the Gaborone High Court threw out a case in which he wanted Justice Itumeleng Segopotso to review a decision made by Justice Zein Kebonang over his expulsion from the BPF.
Butale who lost the case with costs had previously approached Kebonang with an application where he wanted the court to reinstate him into the BPF after he was suspended and then subsequently expelled from the party.
However, Justice Kebonang made a ruling that Butale was lawfully suspended and expelled from the party. After that Butale appealed the matter then he proceeded to go to another judge of equal standing in the High court of Gaborone and raised the same arguments that he brought up in another court. Judge Segopolo said that he did not know what to do with the matter as it was wrongfully addressed to him. He said the matter should have been taken to the court of appeal or to Judge Kebonang as he could not change a judgement which was made by a judge who presides in a court with similar jurisdiction over the same case. Speaking to the media after the court session, spokesperson of the BPF, Lawrence Ookeditse noted that Butale remains expelled from the party. He said that the BPF is for the people and it is going to congress where decisions will be made. Ookeditse warned Butale against masquerading as BPF president because if he does , they will take legal action against him. He said that Butale is acting rouge by holding meetings with members of the BPF across the country. The BPF is also holding consultative meetings with members of the party across the country and Ookeditse is confident that the party is stronger than ever before. Ookeditse said that there is no confusion within the party as members understand that Mephato Reatile is now the President of the BPF. He noted that Butale is acting in the interests of a third party, or at best that he is being used by the infamous Directorate of Intelligence and Security. However, Biggie Butale remains unfazed, telling this publication that the regional consultative calendar that he oversees continues, and that he, along with his team, will be addressing members of the BPF in Gumare this Saturday.