‘BPF future hangs in the balance’
Chakalisa Dube - Lebogang Mosikare | Monday July 17, 2023 06:00
In the past, there has been a narrative that Butale was only tentatively holding the position for Tshekedi Khama, charges that the BPF vehemently denied. Former president, Ian Khama, who is one of the founders of the BPF and its patron, has in the recent past publicly announced that he now wants to take over the reins of power from Butale. Before Ian announced his ambition to become the next president of the BPF, there were reports of behind the scenes plans to topple Butale.
The BPF factional turmoil gathered steam after Butale was suspended from the party only to be later reinstated. Amongst other reasons for his suspension, Butale was accused of having sexually assaulted a female party activist.
However, no formal charges were laid against Butale by the complainant since the allegations surfaced. The party would once again suspend Butale before he was dismissed.
He then dragged the BPF to court challenging his suspension and subsequent dismissal as the president of the party. However, Justice Matlhogonolo Phuthego of the Lobatse High Court ruled in favour of the BPF’s acting president, Caroline Lesang. Lesang was challenging Butale’s claim to the presidency of the BPF after the party’s Disciplinary Committee (DC) pardoned him.
Lesang-who has since quit the BPF-had asked the court to make an order forbidding Butale from convening, arranging, staging, chairing, or presiding over any meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the BPF and/or any affiliates, organs, or structures of the BPF. Accusations and counter accusations ensued between a faction loyal to Butale and another loyal to Ian.
Butale won all the court battles that were mostly centred on removing him from his position as the leader of the BPF save from the one that was presided over by Justice Phuthego. When some thought that the BPF factions would bury the hatchet following their victory in Serowe West, controversy reared its ugly head again over the past weekend.
A BPF faction led by Mephato Reatile summoned Butale, and two other BPF activists, Moiseraela Goya and Phagenyane Phage, who are said to be in his corner, to a disciplinary hearing. Reatile and company accused the trio of having caused and encouraged some members of the BPF to campaign against the party and its decisions during the recent Mmaphula East ward by-election in Palapye.
“The disciplinary committee had therefore suspended Butale from the party and the office of the president of the BPF for 90 calendar days pending disciplinary hearing. During this period, they (Butale, Goya and Phage) shall not discharge any functions of the various offices they occupy,” read a leaked letter by the BPF Disciplinary Committee Secretary, Barulaganye Lekang. But Butale said he will not recognise the suspension and in turn suspended party spokesperson Lawrence Ookeditse, Reatile and Dr Kolatamo Malefho amongst others. When Mmegi contacted Butale on Wednesday to comment on his suspension letter, he was forthright that he was not going to respond.
Mmegi had wanted to solicit Butale’s comment in relation to the narrative that he was never meant to be the substantive president of the BPF. In addition, Mmegi had sought to establish if it was not in the best interest of Butale to quit his current position and just remain as an ordinary member of the BPF for the sake of unity following Ian’s public announcement that he wants to lead the party.
Meanwhile, analysts are of the view that the BPF internal divisions have contributed to its current challenges and have the potential to leave it in a weakened position. There are also fears that the current leadership struggles may plunge the BPF into a split akin to what befell the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD) in the past when it (BMD) was faced with similar problems. The BMD has endured a spectacular downfall since 2017, after Sidney Pilane and his supporters were accused of manoeuvring through the rulebooks to gain total control of the party at the infamous bloody Bobonong congress.
After the Bobonong congress, the UDC expelled the BMD, a move that was seen as a strategy to protect the image of the coalition. The BMD is now in a very weaker state. University of Botswana (UB) political analyst, Professor Zibani Maundeni opines that what is currently bedevilling the BPF does not bode well for the party because “it gives an impression that the party is unstable”.
“This also means that the instability that is rocking the BPF will also affect whoever it associates with, in this case the UDC. The instability affecting the BPF will inevitably affect the UDC. Normally, when a party is battling internal problems, as is currently the case with the BPF, it should not have been invited to join the UDC until it attains some level of stability. This is more so because if you invite it while it is still battling its internal demons of this nature, they will also affect the coalition.
At the end of the day, it looks like the coalition itself is unstable,” said Maundeni. Another political analyst, Adam Mfundisi is of the view that most, if not all, political parties in Botswana suffer from factionalism of one kind or another. He added that the BPF would not suffer a similar fate as the BMD.
“The BPF is somewhat different from BMD because the former is the brainchild of Ian, and he is the indomitable godfather. It has unquestionable appeal in Serowe and its surrounding unlike the BMD which had no stronghold.
The BMD had the UDC as its cover for influence.” Mfundisi also believes that the UDC should broker a peace agreement between warring factions because the instability in BPF affects the UDC. The UDC has previously said that it trusts that the BPF can independently resolve its problems. “Strategic leadership in the UDC is required to reign over the fighting forces within the BPF. In my opinion, the BPF will not collapse in spite of the current problems. Khama is the key to the success or failure of the party,” Mfundisi added.