Molapise denies malice in quartet suspensions
Ryder Gabathuse | Tuesday January 28, 2025 10:16
The trouble-torn BPP, an affiliate of the ruling Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), recently suspended the Minister of Trade and Entrepreneurship, Tiroeaone Ntsima (party secretary general), BPP youth president, Vivian Ramokapane, (youth league president), Alfred Mashungwa, (communications secretary) and Gaba James (ordinary member). But the BPP leader denied this week that the suspensions of the quartet have not really destabilised the BPP, insisting: “I know four BPP senior members have been slapped with suspensions for misconduct. And what’s happening in the party at the moment has not necessarily caused a problem to the party.” He also indicated that the suspensions were not influenced by any malice but the desire to enforce discipline within the BPP rank and file. But, the suspended quartet are equally pointing fingers at Molapise.
The latter, who is also the UDC chairperson, explained that it is apparent that people generally in the party are not happy not with the BPP leadership but with the nomination of councillors post the 2024 General Election. “As a party, we have never received any communication inviting us to nominate councillors as that is the preserve of the Local Government and Traditional Affairs minister and respective legislators,” he said. “As the BPP, we never influenced the choice of nominations. Now, interested people feel we are to blame for their failures to get nominated. As a party, we were not invited to participate in the nomination,” he emphasised. The BPP leadership concerns emanate from the issue that some members of the party created a WhatsApp group wherein they started attacking the party leadership unduly blaming it for the failed nominations as councillors.
Molapise indicated that in some cases, the Assistant Minister of Local Government and Traditional Affairs and Francistown West MP, Ignatius Moswaane, was blamed for nominating some Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) loyalists as councillors ignoring some BPP diehards. “Moswaane has apparently nominated some people who have not been active in the struggle. As the BPP, we were wrongfully accused when in actual fact, we did not play a part in the nomination of councillors,” he further explained. Molapise further clarified that he was not involved when people made their choices of nominated councillors. By suspensions that would be followed by disciplinary action(s), “the BPP is simply making its members to account for their accusations in a WhatsApp group. Some of the accusations might even spoil our good relationship as a member of the UDC coalition,” he remarked. The BPP, according to Molapise, did its best to enlighten people about the process of nomination for councillors and people chose to ignore their counsel and took their own way. “Suspensions and disciplinary hearings are to bring order to the party members, the majority of whom are senior members who obviously are aware of the procedures,” Molapise pointed out. Those suspended are part of the BPP national executive council, which is a day-to-day governing body of the party.
He could not tell when the party will commence and complete disciplinary hearings. One of the suspended quartet, Mashungwa explained circumstances that caused them to be suspended indicating that at some stage, Molapise and Moswaane were in the stated WhatsApp group before they left. He even wondered why the duo had to exit the party group. “It must be noted that in that group, we were purely discussing party related matters,” he told Mmegi.
“This Friday we are appearing before the disciplinary committee and we are going to demand for explanations from Molapise,” he said. Mashungwa indicated that what broke the camel’s back was that they were discussing pertinent concerns including challenging the party to have better come up with a solid position relating to nominating people as councillors. “The feeling was that both Moswaane and Molapise blundered by recommending nominations of people who are not BPP operatives,” he said and emphasised: “It must be pointed out that what Moswaane and Molapise did is grossly wrong for the BPP.”