Scramble for Gabs causes BDP headache
Innocent Selatlhwa | Tuesday May 9, 2023 06:00
Gaborone Regional Committee chairperson, Lepsy Mosope and his team have been fingered in an elaborate scheme to assist Janjaweed faction councillors and preferred Members of Parliament (MP) who voted for him to return to office unopposed later this year. Mosope has however rubbished the claims stating that it is people who do not want to respect the party’s constitution who are complaining.
The Regional Committee is being accused by various campaign teams of sponsoring the complete disruption and halting of membership registration in the region. It has been established that since membership registration started in earnest last year in November not a single constituency has been able to process a single membership card.
“This has led Tsholetsa House to dispatch the Political Education and Elections Committee deployee, Leo Motlhophi, to come and return the order to the process.
A series of meetings that have been called in the past couple of weeks are not bearing any notable fruits,” a BDP insider revealed. In a scathing report submitted to Tsholetsa House, the Regional Committee was overwhelmingly accused of robbing BDP of a win in the recent Bosele ward by-election.
The main point of the content is that the region imposed the candidate Isaac Moseki over a stronger Rudolph Hule who it was believed could have won easily. In Gaborone Bonnington North Region, Kagiso Kwelagobe is said to be challenging the incumbent Anna Motlhagodi. Kwelagobe is also the Regional Treasurer.
The Monitor is reliably informed that there is turmoil in Gaborone Central where Bontsi Monare, former BDP Youth League president is hot on Tumisang Healy’s heels alongside Odirile ‘Vee Mampeezy’ Sento.
The Regional Committee through two of its members are said to have attempted to get all registration that has been achieved to be rubbished and discarded. The Monitor is reliably informed that a meeting will be held this Thursday to try and resolve the matter. In Gaborone Bonnington South, Pelonomi Bantsi is reported to be looking to replace Christian Greeff.
The Regional Committee through its member is accused of meddling with the process to stifle registration in the constituency. In Gaborone North, nominated councillor Lotty Manyapetsa who is also a former Regional Chairperson is said to be looking to run against newly welcomed Haskins Nkaigwa and popular comedian and radio personality Michael ‘Dignash’ Morapedi.
Multiple sources indicate that incumbent Mpho Balopi has decided to sit this one out.
President Mokgweetsi Masisi last year at the party congress in Tsabong stated that they intended that once Bulela Ditswe season is eminent all members who are holding substantive positions must reason and give way to people who will be more neutral. The party has delayed enforcing this rule and as such councillors who are holding positions in regions are allegedly making decisions to support their friends. Mosope has since dismissed all the claims stating that it is constitutional delinquents who were complaining.
“It is almost elections time and it is normal to get people complaining. We have been duly elected to serve them according to the constitution and they get disgruntled when they are told to follow it.
They come up with stories accusing us of bias when they are told to stop campaigning as it is not yet time. By doing that, they are not respecting the positions of incumbents and we cannot let them continue,” he said. Mosope said as a region, they have realised dozens of people who want to contest in Gaborone because of how well the party did in 2019.
He stated that as regions, they do not have anything to do with registrations, but rather they just oversee if the process is running smoothly. He said they are as a region committed to providing a level playing field for party members despite the accusations.
When probed about this, BDP Spokesperson Kagelelo Kentse said: “The party has not officially received any complaints about those who may be positioning themselves for Bulela Ditswe using their positions in branches, regions, or sub-committees but we are keeping a very close eye. Or any BDP member for that matter. In the BDP there are no preferred candidates hence the democratic process of primaries.”