I want to defend my presidency – Butale
Chakalisa Dube | Monday August 15, 2022 06:00
He has come out with guns blazing, emphasising that he "cannot give up" hope to retain his position at the party's elective congress billed for October. “I cannot give up now.
I have lost so much in the BPF. I have lost financially and politically. Even my good name has been tarnished. I want to show that goodness will always prevail against wickedness,” Butale told Mmegi this week.
“If I don’t fight to retain my position, I will be sending a wrong message that goodness can be defeated by evil," he thundered. Butale’s position comes amid reports that he faces expulsion from the party if he chooses to fight for his reinstatement. It is nearly a year since Butale was slapped with a suspension pending a disciplinary hearing.
He was suspended on allegations that he violated a student party activist. Butale has vehemently denied the allegations and labelled them a political witch-hunt. He has since engaged lawyers in a bid to fight his suspension from the party. Last week he wrote to the party stating that he wants full reinstatement and warned that he will take legal action if he is not granted his wish.
The BPF, through their attorneys, Bhala and Company responded to his letter of demand recently maintaining that his suspension can only be lifted on the condition that he becomes an ordinary member. The party Disciplinary Committee (DC) had also initially written to him indicating that his suspension has been lifted but he would not keep his position as party president.
There is mounting speculation that some key figures in the BPF national executive committee (NEC) believe that fully reinstating Butale ahead of the party’s elective congress will give him a platform to campaign.
It is said that he is not their favourite for the position of presidency. They believe that limiting him to the status of an ordinary member will leave him in a weaker position. This week, various sources said some members of the BPF NEC are already pondering a strategy to expel Butale from the party if at all he chooses to fight his matter in court. Butale has remained tightlipped on his planned court bid against the BPF.
The suspended leader does have a few others in the NEC who believe that he should be fully reinstated because it has taken long for the party to call him to a hearing. They are also convinced that charges against him would not stick. In his letter of demand through his lawyers Monthe Marumo and Co, Butale averred that he was suspended from the party on or about September 8, 2021, pending a disciplinary hearing.
He went on to state that to date he has not been furnished with any charge sheet, nor has the disciplinary hearing been convened by the party. “We advise that it is unlawful for the party to suspend the president or any member indefinitely as is the case currently.
Disciplinary action if any should be taken immediately and after the commission of the alleged transgression, not unless such suspension is meant to serve some other ulterior motive. On that note, we were instructed by the client to demand that we hereby do that our client be unconditionally reinstated to his position with immediate effect,” reads in part the letter from Butale’s solicitors. The lawyers added that should the party fail to reinstate Butale, they will be left with no option but to head to court.
The BPF NEC has in the past acknowledged that it has failed to handle Butale’s hearing within a reasonable time. Nearly two months ago, the NEC dissolved its disciplinary committee on grounds that it has failed to timely handle Butale’s hearing.
Then it was established that the disciplinary committee had not been active which, among the reasons, is why Butale’s hearing never materialised. The NEC found that only three of the seven people were active in the committee. A new DC, led by Peter Kgothwane, was immediately constituted. Two months ago, there were indications that a meeting will be organised with Butale and his alleged victim before he is fully reinstated.
It remains unclear as to why the meeting never materialised and why the party DC recommended that he be partially reinstated. BPF spokesperson, Lawrence Ookeditse said on issues relating to Butale: “I can’t confirm these things at this stage lest I speak outside the mandate.”