This follows the resignation of Kabo Morwaeng, Wynter Mmolotsi and Samson Guma-Moyo,  who were all associated with the Barata-Phathi faction.  The three resigned in protest following the election of Thato Kwerepe in place of suspended BDP secretary general, Gomolemo Motswaledi.  Kwerepe was initially a Barata-Phathi member but has since turned his back on the faction.  But it was through  Barata- Phathi that the novice politician was elected to the central committee during the July 2009 BDP congress in Kanye. 

Eyebrows have been raised about why Kwelagobe did not resign in solidarity with his Barata-Phathi comrades.   In a strange twist of events, the BDP secretariat issued a statement that Kwelagobe was not going anywhere.  In the past the BDP secretariat was never known to speak in defence of Kwelagobe.

When he was approached at the National Assembly, Kwelagobe declined to be interviewed on this matter. But one Barata-Phathi member, said Kwelagobe no longer has any fight in him. During the countdown to the Kanye congress, all the attention was focused on Kwelagobe. 

In a move that has proved to have been deliberately targeted at Kwelagobe, President Ian Khama, in his capacity as party president, ordered that BDP members who were holding Cabinet positions should not contest central committee elections.  He said they should choose between Cabinet and the central committee.

Kwelagobe opted for the central committee and Khama dropped him from the Cabinet, as minister for Presidential Affairs and Public Administration.  But other Cabinet Ministers were allowed to contest the central committee elections.  

Kwelagobe, who was standing for the position of chairman, came under attack from A-team members, including President Khama himself.  Actually it was Khama who was leading the onslaught on the veteran BDP politician.  'DK' was accused of being power-hungry.  The A-team members, including former secretary general Jacob Nkate called Kwelagobe all sorts of names.  However, Kwelagobe never retaliated. 

At some stage, Khama threatened that he could not work with Kwelagobe if he were to be re-elected as the chairman. 

Khama backed Tebelelo Seretse who was standing against Kwelagobe.  Khama urged BDP members to vote for Seretse and the other candidates who stood against Kwelagobe and his team.

But during the congress, the Barata-Phati faction swept all the seats, much to Khama's dismay.

One would have expected that the BDP infighting would end after the congress but that was not to be.  In fact the infighting intensified as Khama continued to take unilateral decisions to run the party.

He did not even congratulate members of the newly elected central committee.  Khama went on to appoint the additional members and sub-committees without consulting the central committee.  His appointees were predominately associated with the A-team.  He also went ahead to renew the contract of the BDP executive secretary, Dr Batlang Serema without getting any input from the rest of the central committee.

It was at this juncture that the other members of the central committee started to question Khama's powers.  They sought legal advice on this issue.

Whilst they were still pondering the next move, the BDP and Khama's lawyers, Collins and Newman, issued a press statement that Khama was within his legal rights to take all the decisions that he made.

The lawyers' statement did not go down well with the central committee.  The secretary general Motswaledi also issued a statement to reprimand the law firm for publicising information about the party.

This was the last straw that broke the camel's back.  President Khama swung into action and suspended Motswaledi for 60 days.  He also barred him from contesting the general elections as the BDP parliamentary candidate for Gaborone Central. 

Faced with no alternative to salvage his political career, Motswaledi sought relief from the courts.   But the High Court ruled that Khama was protected by the presidential immunity. On appeal the Court of Appeal upheld the High Court ruling. 

Motswaledi has since been slapped with a five-year suspension by the party.  He has chosen not to appeal the suspension.

However, the Motswaledi controversy has come to haunt the BDP as witnessed by the resignation of disgruntled trio.

Unlike some of his comrades who could not stand the heat, it seems veteran Kwelagobe has decided to fight from within the BDP castle.

During the parliamentary debates to discuss President Khama's State of the Nation address, Kwelagobe echoed the sentiments of other Barata-Phathi members as he called for a constitutional review.  He lamented that the constitutional provision that accords the president immunity, denies people justice. 

Since parliament resumed, members of the Barata-Phathi have been calling for a review of the Botswana Constitution.  But they should also be agitating for the review of the BDP constitution, which gives the party president sweeping powers.

During the parliamentary debates, opposition MPs have been firing salvos at the former Botswana Defence Force (BDF) commander for failing to exercise democracy in his own party.