BDP to reflect on Serowe uproar – Rammidi
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Wednesday August 27, 2025 16:43
Speaking to The Monitor shortly after the meeting, Rammidi said some of the remarks from the community were made in the heat of the moment. He added that the party’s Central Committee (CC) would reconvene to discuss the concerns raised by the tribe. “Some of the things were said because tempers were high. We are not going to act haphazardly. The Central Committee will still go back to them on some of the issues and how they view them,” Rammidi said. Amongst the key grievances, Rammidi acknowledged the issue of former president Ian Khama’s dismissal from the party. He confirmed that the matter was one of several to be considered during the BDP's internal review process.
However, he noted that Khama's current status as a traditional leader complicates the situation. “Unfortunately, he is now a chief and can no longer go back to politics,” Rammidi said. Meanwhile, Khama, who attended the emotionally charged meeting at Serowe College of Education, directly confronted the party leadership. He presented a letter allegedly written by then-BDP president Mokgweetsi Masisi that officially removed him from the party. In response, Khama challenged the party to apply the same disciplinary standards to Masisi. “You can write him the same letter he wrote to me. Why don’t you suspend him or fire him? Again, he embarrassed the party by making it to lose elections, and that will be a good reason for that, ” he asked. Furthermore, Khama criticized both Masisi and the Director-General of the Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS), Peter Magosi, calling them “bad people” and questioning why Magosi remained in government.
Despite the sharp criticism, Masisi remained composed and refused to respond publicly. “I was listening to everything that was said, but I prefer not to comment on this matter,” Masisi said in an interview on Monday. According to the BDP constitution article 34.1.7, it gives the party president the powers to preside over the proceedings of the final disciplinary committee comprising four other members of the party appointed by him/her to hear appeals from the CC. And the final disciplinary shall be final and binding. However, originally intended as an apology and reconciliation effort from the BDP to the Bangwato tribe, the meeting instead turned into a platform for airing long-standing frustrations and political grievances.