Butale’s forced exit
Ryder Gabathuse | Monday September 4, 2023 09:43
The party’s incessant in-and-out of court escapades speak to an organisation that cannot manage its challenges in-house and at worst, prefers to wash its dirty linen in public.
Even if former president Biggie Butale was an unwanted man in the party, there was a better way of dealing with his future in the party than going to court. For one, Butale could feel it that his time with the BPF was long up. The politician-cum-pastor used court injunctions to simply buy time instead of using his sense of discernment to pick his troubles.
Trouble started the moment he was accused of having ‘abused’ the party female youth without proof following his suspension without charges. His return to party activism would be negotiated that only if he returned to the party as an ordinary member. But Butale would have none of that, until he returned to the position as the party helmsman, albeit things were never the same from then onwards. For a party that is trying to find its feet on a volatile political landscape, the BPF might find its fortunes dwindling to their lowest ever, if not completely reversed. It’s some of the party operatives who might find themselves homeless politically at the end of the marathon litigation cases.
The Mephato Reatile-led BPF national executive committee (NEC) doesn’t seem will have difficulties getting rid of its nemesis in the party as it has already demonstrated by expelling Butale and suspending some of his supporters.
The BPF has been swathed by political brouhaha that has seen party leaders spending more time in the courts of law than on actual party business on daily business, hoping that the courts would settle their quarrels. It’s apparent that at the centre of the party disputes is the battle for the control of the organisation, which seems to have been a challenge for sometime.
This has been the case especially since former president Ian Khama, the party patron and sole funder, went on self-imposed exile in neighbouring South Africa. Khama has also been hinting that at the right time he would like to take over the presidency of the BPF. This might have thrown panic into the Butale faction for sometime. There have also been fears that Khama wanted to render the BPF a regional and tribal party based in Gamma-Ngwato, reports which Khama and his supporters have vehemently rubbished.
The appointment of Reatile as the BPF vice president after the departure of Caroline Lesang who had returned to the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) ushered troubles for Butale as Reatile, a Khama ally seemingly made life difficult for Butale, stealthily. Subsequently, Butale was suspended and later expelled after Reatile was appointed acting president. Despite clear signs that he was unwanted in the BPF, Butale played democracy, which seems to have instead battered his image as a politician.
As such, he has been a big loser in the bigger scheme of things. Whilst Butale does not recognise the Reatile faction for its ambitions to take over the party leadership, Reatile and his team do not recognise Butale as its legitimate leader despite that he was legitimately elected by a recognised party structure. The Reatile-led NEC at sometime was slapped with a 30-day suspended sentence for contempt of court after the committee acted against Butale even when a court had instructed them not to.
The BPF now apparently has two centres of power with each side accusing each other of ‘illegally’ occupying the party office. Just under team Reatile’s eyes, Butale and his men, Phagenyana Phage, Master Goya and James Kgalajwe amongst others have been pulling crowds in the north of Dibete cordon fence areas briefing them about the state of the party in the midst of unending court cases. This is despite that Butale has been reportedly expelled from the party with Goya reportedly suspended.
There is literally chaos in the BPF leadership at the moment as the two party factions continue to battle for recognition. Now, with a court decision Tuesday this week, emphasising that Butale has no right or whatsoever to legitimately claim any right to the party leadership, it remains to be seen if he would be willing to bow to pressure mounted by the Reatile faction. The latter faction now claims legitimacy to the control of the party, which of course is buttressed by the court decision this week. Sometimes it may be difficult for a party of the BPF's calibre to allow itself to be run through courts of law, even before exhausting internal processes. It also remains to be seen what next court action awaits Butale who has fought so many battles at court where he won some and lost others. It also seems Butale is now running out of viable options, unless in a way he is trying to be smart and waylaying his opponents, legally. Quizzed if he has noted that the BPF has been operating with two centres of power with both factions of the party claiming control, University of Botswana (UB) political commentator, Adam Mfundisi conceded: “Factionalism and intra-party rivalries have afflicted the BPF since its inception. The internecine wars in the BPF are destabilising the growth and appeal of the party to the voting population.”
He said that factionalism mushroom and proliferates where a political party is less developed thereby constraining the authority and effectiveness of party leadership. “Factionalism in itself is not entirely bad if it is handled more effectively by the political leadership. Where political parties are well developed, factionalism allows diverse voices to be heard within the political formations. Moreover, degenerative type of factionalism results in lack of cohesion, fragmentation, and political volatility,” explained.
He feels strongly that the BPF stagnated due to continued infighting, which inhibits the development of party structures and policy decisions necessary for the growth and resilience of the party. He highlighted that lack of intra-party elections within the BPF, fuel instability in the party. “The Khama factor is not helpful to the stability of the BPF,” he observed and added: “Godfatherism and authoritarianism are obstacles to intra-party democracy.” He described Khama as the primary funder and promoter of the BPF indicating that he has been micro-managing it from self-exile in South Africa. “He has taken side in these factional wars ravaging the BPF.
The image of the BPF is in tatters due to factional politics, which has seen a marathon of court cases emanating from the factions within the party,” Mfundisi told Mmegi. The BPF has since its inception not had strategic leadership, which has a vision, mission, strategy, goal and objectives for the party. Factional politics undermines intra-party democracy.
A leadership vacuum has exacerbated infighting within the BPF. Khama's self-exile dealt a blow to the stability and growth of the party. His departure from the domestic political landscape made the BPF vulnerable to destabilisation forces emanating from the ruling BDP. Mundisi warned: “A product of factionalism hardly survives from such a curse.
BPF is a splinter party from the BDP having been formed by the then Khama faction in the BDP.” Since its creation, the BPF party leadership had no effective control over national executive committee (NEC) thereby compromised party discipline and stability. Perpetuation of factionalism, if not addressed, may lead to the collapse of the BPF before the 2024 General Election. In addition, there seems to be divisions in relations to the BPF joining the coalition of parties, Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) further sowing seeds of destruction. What is very clear, however, is the reality that the judicial process can never resolve political problems.
Intra-party factionalism is a political problem to be resolved through political means. Factional politics is not a problem of the BPF alone and therefore, it is a national one. All political parties in Botswana are one way or the other embroiled in factionalism. The other parties are however, able to manage factionalism within their ranks.
The BPF is new in politics and unfortunately, a product of factionalism of the BDP. Mfundisi’s considered view is that Khama’s intervention and leadership might be the solution to infighting in the BPF. The political analyst further observed: “BPF lacks a leader who has good character, more so, charisma, honesty, integrity, empathy, trustworthiness, open-minded and flexibility. All in all, strategic leadership matters in any political party. BPF leadership is defective in that regard.” When the BPF court battles end, the party will no longer be the same as the Reatile faction is pro joining the UDC coalition and through this move, the party might salvage its image.
Perpetual intra-party factional wars are denting the image of the party and its leadership making it vulnerable to attacks by its competitors. After one of Butale's court losses, Mmegi asked him about the meaning of this week’s court decision to his political career and he quickly responded: “For now, I haven’t made any decision this way or that way. But, we are continuing with our consultative meetings. We should be able to have an answer very soon.” Meanwhile, Reatile informed Mmegi in an interview that their current decisions are informed by the party constitution. Reatile explained that Butale, Goya, Phage and Kgalajwe were expelled by the party so, are not party members.
Reatile feels the expelled members still have a hangover that they are BPF members. Through a recent press conference, the Reatile team, which constitutes the party national executive committee made it clear that Butale is no longer a problem to them as they had dealt with him appropriately and in accordance with the party constitution. Come 16th September 2023, the BPF will elect new leadership in Gaborone and Reatile is adamant that the party is putting everything into place to ensure the elective congress succeeds.