Four of expelled quintet at odds with Kapinga
Mompati Tlhankane | Monday September 12, 2022 06:00
The four Members of Parliament (MP) are the Leader of Opposition (LOO) and Selebi-Phikwe West MP Dithapelo Keorapetse, MP for Palapye Onneetse Ramogapi, MP for Nkange Never Tshabang, and MP for Mahalapye West David Tshere.
The BCP national conference held in Mahalapye two months ago took the decision to expel the quintet. This week the BCP announced that Kapinga has applied for readmission into the party, something that did not sit well with the other four expelled MPs.
In an interview with Mmegi on Wednesday, Keorapetse revealed that while they may not agree with Kapinga’s decision they understand and respect it. Keorapetse added that Kapinga told them the reasons why he is seeking readmission into the BCP. “Part of the reason is that he is seeking readmission is something that we cannot discuss now,” he said.
When the four MPs addressed a press conference after their expulsion in July, Kapinga was not in attendance. It is said that the latter started weighing his options then although he was still with them. Kapinga is said to be worried that he cannot make it to Parliament post the 2024 General Elections in the Okavango constituency without the BCP.
Okavango has become a stronghold of the BCP and before Kapinga, it was once held by Bagalatia Arone from 2014-2019. Arone, who won Okavango under the BCP ticket in 2014, defected to the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) in 2016 only for the BCP to reclaim the constituency in the 2019 General Elections through Kapinga. Now, the latter who is former deputy commissioner of Botswana Police Service (BPS) and an envoy, is set to board the BCP ship which is expected to dump the UDC in four months’ time.
At the BCP national conference in Mahalapye right before the MPs were expelled, the BCP president Dumelang Saleshando emphasised that the BCP needs to strengthen its bases that have been destabilised by the elected representatives in the five constituencies being Okavango, Nkange, Selebi- Phikwe West, Palapye and Mahalapye West. “We need to make one point very clear; no individual is bigger than the party. Our general membership know that the party always comes first, something that occasionally escapes the minds of those given the limited opportunity and privilege to serve as elected representatives,” Saleshando accentuated. Following Kapinga’s decision to be readmitted, Saleshando on Wednesday posted on Facebook indicating that Kapinga deserves to be forgiven because it is human nature to make mistakes.
“It was in November of 2016 that the BCP welcomed Kapinga as a member. He was warmly received and went on to serve as a member of the central committee and the BCP nominee for the Okavango constituency. As with any relationship, we went through turbulence and misunderstandings leading to a separation. Though hurt by the parting of ways, we stated loud and clear that a mending of ways will be most welcome, and I am happy that he has taken the first step to rejoin the BCP,” read Saleshando’s statement . Saleshando said he looked forward to joining the BCP members in Okavango to welcome Kapinga back soon, subject to completion of the readmission processes.
The former Gaborone Central MP explained that when one has acknowledged their mistakes, they need to bury the hatchet and focus on advancing the best interests of the party. “As they say, ‘to err is human, to forgive divine’. All human beings make mistakes, that’s our nature,” he highlighted. Although Kapinga has made the first move by asking to rejoin the BCP, that is not the case with other four MPs no wonder they disagree with Kapinga's choice.
The four MPs feel that certain things have to be addressed first before they could start thinking about rejoining their party. After their expulsion in Mahalapye, the MPs still believed that reconciliation could still work with their former party provided the BCP still wants to be part of the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC). That stance has not changed and Keorapetse maintains that in terms of reconciliation, they have been open, provided the BCP remains in the UDC. “If the party doesn’t remain in the UDC, I don’t think there is a reason why we should consider reconciliation,” he highlighted. Speaking of remaining in the UDC, the option now seems implausible as the BCP has since carved its own path by starting talks with the Alliance for Progressives (AP) on ‘building a democratic and accountable alternative to the BDP and the UDC’.
The BCP has outlined that the UDC has left it with no option but to chart the path they are taking with the Alliance for Progressives (AP). Considering that it may be too late for the BCP and UDC, the only option for the four MPs is to remain UDC members as they lose Kapinga to their former party. The four MPs have clarified that they have no intention to join the BNF or form a party.
They have also indicated that they will keep their status as UDC MPs because there is a clause in the UDC constitution that allows them to contest for positions as UDC members. Even though the UDC and the Botswana National Front (BNF) president Duma Boko praised the quintet as 'soldiers who suffered for the cause'. Currently, the MPs have not yet found any new political home.
Talking of political homes, for Keorapetse whose current position as just a UDC member without any party amongst the now four coalition parties, has stoked further speculation about his 2024 chances. Observers say Keorapetse’s chances remain slimmer in Selebi-Phikwe West after the expulsion, which adds further fuel to the speculative fire over whether or not he will contest the 2024 General Elections under the BNF ticket. But Keorapetse this week told Mmegi that in Selebi-Phikwe West they are working on the ground.
“There is confusion there and there but we are straightening things up. We are holding meetings and house-to-house campaigns,” he said.