How Butale 'lost grip' of his presidency
Innocent Selatlhwa | Tuesday April 25, 2023 06:00
It has since emerged from the March 20 meeting at Arirang restaurant, Staybridge Hotel that Biggie Butale was trying to reprimand former president Ian Khama, the party patron and his brother Tshekedi Khama amongst others for indiscipline.
This is contained in the minutes of the meeting recorded by Reitumetse Aphiri, the party’s secretary for political education who is also an applicant in the matter before the court.
Butale slams the Khamas, others for indiscipline “The president raised concerns on indiscipline in the party by some members of the NEC and indicated that there were three members of the NEC that he believed their intentions are to destroy the party.
These members were the patron (Ian Khama), secretary-general (Tshekedi Khama), deputy secretary-general (Vuyo Yane Notha), and deputy treasurer (Robert Mariba). The president believes the members were sowing seeds of anarchy in the party, and that he as the president, as well as the NEC needed to decide on the appropriate action to be taken,” Aphiri stated.
She further stated that Butale read out a letter that he had received from the Northern Region, as complaints against Notha and Mariba, a copy of which she stated was available in the secretary-general’s files. She stated that the Northern region was requesting the NEC to take action against the two NEC members. Butale also intimated that this was not the first complaint received against the said NEC members and that this was now becoming a habit within the party. Butale reportedly also indicated that he had the same complaint against Notha, and he (Notha) had a very demeaning attitude toward him as the president. Butale is said to have also reported on a recent meeting that was held in Serowe, and addressed by the chief executive officer of SKI Khama Foundation Mogomotsi Kaboeamodimo, in which he intimated that Butale has made some derogatory remarks about the patron, which Butale refuted, and also that the uncles at the meeting put order at the meeting, indicating that Butale would never have made such remarks about Khama. Butale reported that there was clearly a deliberate campaign to tarnish his name in Serowe. Butale is said to have indicated that there were two options for the NEC and the party; either to allow anarchy to take place in the party or to restore law and order in the party, or be a proper political party.
He also indicated that if the anarchy was deliberately being done to push him out, he was not going to go anywhere, however, he indicated that action needed to be taken against acts of indiscipline by NEC members. “The president further indicated concerns about the patrons and other members of the NEC pronouncements against agreed NEC resolutions, and that the Patron and some NEC members were preaching conflicting messages to the members and the public.
A point in case was the NEC resolution to hold a National Conference and Extra Ordinary Congress, and that there will be an elective congress thereafter, and the Patron’s statements refuting the NEC’s resolution that there would be an elective congress instead during the weekend of April 29 to May 1. There was concern that this showed ingenuity in the reconciliation process. Instead of undermining the president, there should be respect towards each other and that the NEC members were responsible for advising each other within an appropriate forum,” Aphiri wrote.
Butale is said to have noted with concern the two centres of power that were being created by Ian Khama within the party. He advised NEC members of the need to pay attention to where Khama speaks, and that the patron should not be speaking on his own behalf but that of the party, after being assigned to the same. Khama is used From the same meeting, Aphiri wrote that concerns were raised that the patron had allowed himself to be used by any member of the party and caution was thrown to him not to allow the same, but be guided by the national organising secretary and the president.
This was so that the patron can be protected by the NEC and party at all times. “Some members indicated that the patron’s name has been misused and misled, but also that the patron has also allowed for this to happen, which has not helped the party to maintain discipline. The president indicated that action needed to be taken against acts of indiscipline within the party and against members and that if the NEC does not take these issues seriously and allowed indiscipline and anarchy, then he and the NEC would be leading an undisciplined and disorderly party,” reads extracts from the minutes. According to the minutes, with tempers flaring high and uncontrolled arguments and violent behaviour, the meeting was abruptly ended and dispersed until further notice, with two members of the NEC, Samson Guma Moyo and Thatayone Serema, indicating their intention to resign from the party. Though not stated in the minutes, in his affidavit, Butale said he had also threatened to resign from the party.