Divided BPF unites in Serowe West
Innocent Selatlhwa | Wednesday July 5, 2023 06:00
While the two parties did not embrace each other in court and fought through their lawyers, they were together the following day in Serowe.
Butale and the BPF secretary for Education, Reitumetse Aphiri approached the court on urgency earlier this month after some NEC members met and suspended them at a meeting they said was illegal.
Those that Butale wants to be jailed for contempt of court include the party’s vice president, Mephato Reatile, its secretary-general, Tshekedi Khama, Lazarus Lekgoanyana, Ford Moiteela, Prince Bosilong, the party patron, Ian Khama, Motswasele Kganetso, Dr Kolaatamo Malefho, Lawrence Ookeditse, and Amogelang Mokwena appearing as first to 10th respondents respectively.
The matter was back in court on Friday whereupon Butale, through Rammika Tafa Attorneys, prayed that his reinstatement be made a final court order and that the 10 men be jailed. At the Lobatse High Court, Butale sat with Aphiri just behind their attorneys. On the other side of the court, Reatile sat with Ookeditse and Malefho behind their attorneys as well.
During breaks, both teams would just engage their attorneys and not one another. In a brief interview with The Monitor, Ookeditse said the two teams could not reconcile out of court as Butale had rejected their attempts for mediation. It was, however, a different ball game on Saturday as the BPF launched its Serowe West parliamentary candidate, Onalepelo Kedikilwe together with its partners, the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) and Alliance for Progressives (AP). Amongst those in attendance were Butale, Reatile, other NEC members, representatives from UDC and AP including legislators Onneetse Ramogapi and Yandani Boko of Palapye and Mahalapye East respectively.
Tshekedi who is in self-imposed exile in South Africa also participated in the launch virtually and addressed the voters. Tshekedi addressed potential voters for about 10 minutes without making any reference to their differences.
After Tshekedi, BPF’s Reatile took over the microphone. Likewise, Reatile concentrated on campaigning for BPF without making any reference to issues within the party. Butale would then take the stage after his vice president, Reatile, to conduct the candidate launch. He started by sending his regards to members of the NEC, starting with Reatile and other delegates.
Like other speakers, he did not make any reference to their differences. Serowe West will elect a new legislator over the next weekend with the BPF represented by Kedikilwe while Botswana Democratic Party will be represented by Moemedi Dijeng.