Court dismisses Butale's BPF presidential claim
Goitsemodimo Kaelo | Tuesday October 11, 2022 16:37
Before today's Lobatse High Court interdiction, Butale had been presenting himself as the party's president: one time during a press conference and recently at a political rally.
Lobatse High Court's Justice Matlhogonolo Phuthego ruled in favour of the party's acting president, Caroline Lesang in a case in which she was challenging Butale’s claim to the presidency after the party’s Disciplinary Committee (DC) pardoned him.
Lesang had asked the court to make an order forbidding Butale from convening, arranging, staging, chairing, or presiding over any meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the BPF and/or any affiliates, organs, or structures of the BPF.
In his ruling, Justice Phuthego said there is no ambiguity that Butale continues to be barred from discharging the duties of a president as he failed to appeal the DC's decision to pardon him as just an ordinary member.
The judge also nullified all the decisions taken by Butale’s NEC meetings, which include the postponement of the party’s congress scheduled for the end of this month as well as the suspension of some members of the NEC including presidential hopeful Samson Moyo Guma, party spokesperson Lawrence Ookeditse, and national organising secretary Ford Moiteela.
Butale, who has been serving his suspension since last year over allegations of sexual misconduct claimed to have assumed his presidential duties just a week after he was pardoned to return to the BPF as just an ordinary member. He convened a meeting of the NEC whereby several decisions, including postponing the party’s congress were made. Full story to follow on Friday.