BNF postpones elective congress again
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Monday November 1, 2021 06:00
The party’s central committee took a decision to postpone the congress at its weekend meeting. This is because most of the party structures’ mandates have elapsed while some do not exist at all. The postponement will also help those who want to contest for party positions to have enough time to prepare their campaigns. “It is true that we are going to hold our congress next year. The congress can only be held once structures that send delegates to it have renewed their mandate.
The Women’s League will hold its own on March 26, 2022, while the Youth League will hold theirs in April.
We needed time to prepare for the congress and to ensure that other party lower structures are active. Mind you, the party has an ongoing membership drive which also helps to revive any collapsed structures if they are there.
Also, the budget for all these must be made,” said BNF secretary-general Moeti Mohwasa on Tuesday. He further revealed that currently, most of their structures are still to renew their mandate.
However, Mmegi has learnt that some had proposed that the current central committee should lead them to the 2024 general election but the party leadership refused on the basis that the party constitution must be followed. While others believe that July is very far and with COVID-19, the cases might be high since it will be winter season. On the other hand, the BNF vice president Prince Dibeela who also wanted to contest for the party presidency said he did not attend the meeting because of his other commitments and the communication that further postponed the congress to next year has not yet been communicated to them.
“I have not yet asked on the resolutions made by the central committee. Of course, I was aware of the meeting but I was out of the country. If the congress is going to be next year, I am not sure that I will have the interest to contest like before. Maybe by then, I would have changed my mind to focus on something else,” he said.
He added that what is more important now is for the party to focus on membership growth, peace and stability.
Dibeela further stated that the BNF, like any other political party, has the mandate to win some of the constituencies that it will be contesting in the 2024 general election and therefore, it needs members who are active or hard-working. “Normally, during congress, people focus much on elections while what is very important is the resolutions that the congress makes.
Even the motions that come from the constituencies are important,” he concluded.