‘BCP cadres jostle to replace Tshabang’
Lebogang Mosikare | Monday January 23, 2023 06:00
The Nkange constituency is currently held by Dr Never Tshabang, former BCP legislator who represented the UDC in the 2019 general elections.
Tshabang and other four BCP legislators were expelled from the BCP after they defied a party caucus that ordered them not to participate in the UDC parliamentary caucus that was mandated to choose a new Leader of the Opposition (LoO) after the previous LoO, Dumelang Saleshando, was suspended by the UDC.
One of the fired lawmakers, Kenny Kapinga, later retraced his steps to the BCP.
Saleshando was suspended together with legislator, Goretetse Kekgonegile, who is also the secretary general of the BCP. Saleshando and Kekgonegile were initially suspended from the UDC for three months but the suspensions were later extended to indefinitely after they took the UDC to court challenging their suspensions.
In the aftermath of the suspensions of Saleshando and Kekgonegile, the president of the UDC, Duma Boko, revealed that the UDC took the decision to suspend the duo after they made disparaging and maligning statements about the UDC in the media.
As things stand, Tshabang is already assured of representing the UDC as its parliamentary election candidate in Nkange during the 2024 general elections. The move follows a controversial UDC ultimatum that give all sitting BCP ‘dissidents’ at parliamentary and ward level to represent the UDC in the 2024 general elections the green light to contest without undergoing primary elections.
The ultimatum-which was largely ignored by BCP councilors and legislators-was criticised by most political analysts and electorates in equal measure as undemocratic and strategy to destabilise it.
It is also common cause that before the ultimatum, BCP was fighting for the restoration of the principles and values of good governance and constitutionalism in the UDC which it (BCP) said were lacking.
But the UDC denies that these issues are lacking and that its leader, Boko, is a dictator.
While the BCP has not publicly announced that its cadres can express interest to contest primary elections ahead of the 2024 general elections at both ward and primary levels, rumours are doing rounds that some BCP cadres have already started underground campaigns in Nkange. According to BCP sources, the constituency is one of those that are considered winnable hence the underground campaigns. In the 2019 general elections, Tshabang won the Nkange constituency with 7766 votes.
He was followed by Ishmael Mokgethi of the BDP and Edison Wotho of the Alliance for Progressives (AP) with 6806 and 1458 votes respectively. In the local government elections (wards), the BCP and BDP took home five seats each.
“Comrades have are already started to discreetly campaign in the constituency. We anticipate that their numbers both at ward and parliamentary levels will increase with time. One of the people whose name keeps being mentioned as a potential parliamentary candidate is Sensei Million Masumbika. Masumbika is currently councilor for Maitengwe and chairperson of the Nkange constituency,” said a BCP source who talked to Mmegi in confidence for fear of being victimised.
While the veracity of these claims will become known as time goes by, chairperson of the BCP’s Northern Region (Nata/Gweta, Shashe West and Nkange constituencies), Moseki Mathodi, denying them. Mathodi,who is also the councilor for Tutume East-briefly told Mmegi that BCP activists in Nkange are currently working as a team in preparation of the 2024 general elections.
“People who want to represent the BCP in the 2024 general polls will make their intentions known after the party sanctions them. Right now, comrades are working together in preparation for the 2024 general elections and there is nothing sinister about that,” said Mathodi.
Mathodi’ sentiments were also echoed by Masumbika.
Masumbika told Mmegi that allegations that some BCP activists, including himself are already positioning themselves in Nkange were new to him. “For now, nobody including myself has shown interest to represent the BCP in Nkange during the 2024 general elections at any level. As the leadership of the constituency, we will wait for the national leadership of the BCP to give anyone interested in representing at any level the green light to do so. Before that happens, what you heard is just mere speculation and nothing else,” said Masumbika.