BPF NEC, Butale standoff amidst Serowe West victory
Staff Writer | Monday July 10, 2023 12:25
Before the sun could set on the party's by-election win, the BPF ended the weekend with yet another controversy following a leaked letter to The Monitor undersigned by Barulaganye Letang as BPF Disciplinary Committee Secretary.
In the letter, Butale is summoned before the disciplinary committee following a complaint against the troubled party president.
“Having carefully considered the matter and in the interest of the party, the disciplinary committee has decided the allegations are serious and warrant disciplinary proceedings against the three,” reads the letter in part.
The three refer to Butale, Phagenyane Phage, and Moisiraele Goya who are facing allegations contrary to Clause 6.1.5 of the party's constitution.
According to the letter, Butale is accused of having caused and encouraged some members of the party to campaign against the party and its decisions at the recent Mmaphula East ward by-election.
He is also accused of having failed to declare funds received on behalf of the party and for allegedly working with party rivals to destabilise the BPF.
“The disciplinary committee had therefore decided to suspend Biggie Ganda Butale from the party and the office of the president of the BPF for 90 calendar days pending disciplinary hearing. During this period, they shall not discharge any functions of the various offices they occupy,” the suspension letter further reads.
The letter states that the committee will notify Butale and two others (Phage and Goya) within a 21-day notice of the hearing.
Reached for comment, the troubled Butale, who has been in legal battles with some members of the national executive committee (NEC) ever since his affirming court victory to return to office, only said: “I have no comment".
Butale has dragged some members of the NEC as well as the BPF patron, former president Ian Khama to court for contempt of court. This is after, according to Butale, they held ‘illegal’ NEC meetings even after a court order directing them not to do so.
Butale’s presidency has been marred in controversy with seemingly no end in sight to the infighting at the BPF.
In the meantime, Butale has also given as much as he got when he too served recall and suspension letters to three executive committee members and two others.
Most notably, he (Butale) has recalled his vice president, Mephato Reatile, the secretary for information and publicity, Lawrence Ookeditse, and the secretary for health, Kolaatamo Malefho, from their positions in the NEC and suspended them from the party in the "interest of peace and stability".
Butale further cites "indiscipline, insubordination, and causing divisions in the party" as reasons to suspend the trio for bringing the party into "disrepute" and "threatening its survival".