UDC debt ghosts haunt 2019 petitions
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Monday August 25, 2025 10:30
Back in 2019, the UDC stormed the courts with fire and fury, contesting the outcome of the General Election. Twenty-three UDC candidates took both the BDP and the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to court, arguing that democracy had been compromised. The then opposition coalition had alleged that the BDP had manipulated the polls and stolen victory through rigging. Twenty-three UDC candidates took both the BDP and the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to court, arguing that democracy had been compromised. However, the high-stakes petition quickly crumbled. The courts dismissed the case, leaving the UDC not only politically bruised but also financially battered. Instead of toppling the BDP, the opposition was slapped with a hefty bill that had lingered like a dark cloud ever since. According to records, the UDC owes the BDP over P10 million in legal costs. On top of that, the party must also pay the IEC over P573,000. For years, the debts have been pushed aside, but now, the opposition party is turning up the heat, demanding clarity and payment.
Speaking this week, BDP secretary-general Kentse Rammidi confirmed that the matter is very much alive within the party’s corridors.
“We are still waiting for a full report from our attorneys on who has paid and who has not. We have asked them to follow up on all our debts, as we understand not all the money has been paid,” he said. Rammidi admitted that, at the moment, the party does not have the exact figures on what has been settled and what remains outstanding. But one thing is clear: the money owed is still hanging, and the UDC cannot escape it forever. “The debt is long overdue,” he stressed.
However, the UDC executive director, Dr Patrick Molutsi, said, “It is true some individual members of the UDC are owing the BDP. It is still owed over P2 million, and they had a plan for how they are going to pay. I have not checked, but I hope they are honouring their agreement.”
He said they have cleared the IEC as they owed it over P100,000 as the outstanding balance from election petition bills. He, however, said the UDC would get in contact with the lawyers of the party so that it gets resolved on how some members who might be in a financial crisis might be assisted.
The party executive director said it was not easy for some members to have cleared their petition legal costs since some members were not working and the bills were huge.
Furthermore, Molutsi urged some individual party members and their sympathisers to help some individuals who are not working to clear their election petition debts, as it is part of enhancing democracy.
“To be a ruling party does not mean that our members have money to pay. Of course, we have to pay so that some individuals do not lose their properties. It is sad as some members are still losing some to try to pay their bills,” he said. The resurfacing of this issue could not have come at a worse time for the UDC, which has been grappling with internal fissures, leadership battles, and declining public confidence.