'Team Bucs' threatens court action
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Monday June 20, 2022 06:00
The Team Bucs is complaining that it is being denied the chance to campaign amongst the BNF members and their efforts to engage the party central committee members has failed since it is not responding to their correspondence. According to a press release written by the suspended Team Bucs spokesperson Kaboyaone Sedimo, they have written numerous letters to the party central committee. Team Bucs is battling it out for party positions with the current party president Duma Boko’s team. “Our concerns stem principally but not exclusively from the fact that there are currently pending issues relating to the preparation and conduct of the planned congress.
The development has compelled us to issue this statement to inform the BNF members and the nation at large of the worrisome situation within the BNF," reads the press statement in part.
The statement added: “The process of registration of members of the BNF deliberately excluded applicants from constituencies and or wards deemed to be supportive of our message. As an example, the Phakalane Ward in Gaborone North paid for membership cards in January/February 2022. This was submitted in accordance with the procedure laid down by the central committee. No membership cards were issued to any of the applicants from Phakalane ward notwithstanding our persistent enquiries,” Sedimo said. He said card fees for all wards in Bobonong were paid for at the same time and following the procedure determined by the central committee. In addition, he said no single card was issued notwithstanding that the membership fees were paid.
He further said the integrity of the membership register has been severely compromised. He continued: “There are actually two databases. One containing the old membership and the other, the new cards. There are potentially two voters’ rolls! This opens up the entire electoral process to possible manipulation. We are particularly concerned because the central committee’s own investigations have revealed that some employees of the BNF actually added members to the register after the expiry of the deadline set by the National Executive Committee.” He explained that some structures including the elections of wards and constituency committees were not elected in accordance with the BNF procedures and processes.
The spokesperson said these structures play a major role in the election of delegates to congress, the nomination of candidates and ultimately the election of the BNF leadership. He further said the party employees, who are central to the conduct of elections, have shown bias and unwavering support to the incumbent president Duma Boko-led lobby group. In fact, such employees were found in the middle of the night in the party office, adding members to the register beyond the cut-off date set by the national executive committee of the BNF. “We wish to inform the BNF members and the nation at large that Team Bucs has done everything possible to engage the leadership of the BNF to address its concerns to no avail.
All our letters including our requests for meetings with the national executive committee of the BNF remain unanswered. We are being denied the opportunity to have our concerns addressed within the BNF structures.
We believe BNF members should know this. The issuance of the press statement and subsequent actions we will take is only due to the fact that we have been denied an audience by the BNF leadership,” he said. However, they assured BNF members that they would not allow their great party and its members to be subjected to a congress that lacks credibility and legitimacy.
The BNF spokesperson Justin Hunyepa said all candidates who want to address members of the BNF at any official gathering are allowed to do so. "Members of the central committee are also still in office and have to run the party. This is why the president, national chairperson, secretary-general will continue to officiate events," he said.