Aftermath of Serowe congress haunts AP
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Monday October 6, 2025 06:00
Despite the official announcement and endorsement of the newly elected leaders, Mmegi has observed that the party continues to grapple with the aftermath of the congress elections. A group of concerned members wrote to party leadership just days after the elective congress in Serowe, raising red flags about alleged irregularities that they claim tainted the electoral process, issues they say had already been flagged before the vote. Now, two months later, the members say their letter has gone unanswered, deepening their frustrations. While they insist, they are not angry with the party; they emphasise that they still expect a response from the AP electoral chairperson, Diane Moagi. In a letter dated July 29, 2025 written by six members, it reads in part: “We, being candidates at the recent congress, went for the election without having ever had the opportunity to peruse the voters roll, notwithstanding the fact that we had long voiced our concern in this regard at a meeting where the President of the party and Chairperson were present. We had to grovel at the feet of the leadership to be furnished with the voters' roll, such that one could have thought it was a secret society document reserved only for a chosen few.”
The letter dated 25th July, 2025, three main issues arose, which include: the usurpation of the electoral commission's mandate by a third party (consultant) who was single-handedly picked by a conflicted candidate, a candidate in the elections.
Furthermore, they said the consultant, in essence, replaced the electoral commission even though it was never clear whether if indeed, there was a consultant, such a consultant had to be unilaterally handpicked by a candidate. This is a conspicuous and blatant conflict of interest. “The removal of delegates from the voters' roll at the whim of the persons preparing the voters' roll, acting in cahoots with certain regional chairpersons and regional secretaries. The Chairperson of the Electoral Commission disowned the voters' roll in the presence of the President and the AP Chairperson, stating that the Commission never took part in the preparation of the roll that was meant to be used in the conduct of the elections.”
They said despite such express sentiments, the party decided to forge ahead with the elections, paying no heed to the issues that arose with regard to the voters' roll.
The concerned members said it was as a direct result of this fraudulent conduct that on election day, scores of delegates found themselves unable to vote because their names did. not appear on the voters' roll. However, they pointed out that conversely, some individuals who were favoured because they were deemed to be aligned with a certain lobby list voted even though they were neither on the list of delegates forwarded by the branches nor appeared on the voters' roll.
The letter further reveals that several people whose names did not appear on the voters' roll were added to the voters' roll right on the spot by hand, and such persons were allowed to vote. Moreover, the voters' roll had a few alterations to it up to and during the voting process. “It was a messy affair as people who were supposed to be on the voters' roll by virtue of having been so selected by the branches, found themselves in limbo, barred from voting, while those who were not supposed to vote were allowed to vote,” it said. In addition, the letter reveals that some candidates, including Theresa Mmolawa, Dira Moalosi, and Phenyo Dinake, were not in the voters' roll.
“This was due to the fact that delegates were handpicked by conflicted individuals. Anybody who expressly or by conduct appeared not to be aligned with the group which dubbed itself 'tried and tested', was excluded from the delegates' list as delegates were handpicked by those we were contesting with.” However, they said It ought to be noted that at the meeting of July 15, 2025, upon the presentation of our grievances, the AP president, Ndaba Gaolathe, dismissed their factual, honest, and sincere grievances as merely, breakdown of relationships.
The concerned members said no solution was offered to ameliorate the aftereffects of the fraud orchestrated from inside the party, even though it was clear that the rigging of embarrassingly high proportions was underway by those who sought to retain their positions at all costs.
“We reiterate that the deliberate and calculated irregularities have nothing to do with relationships but rather people who seek to win positions by flagrantly trampling on any semblance of integrity and goodwill committee while remedying the latent defects in the just ended elections,” it said. However, the concerned members said they have all the evidence in their possession.
The AP spokesperson Phemelo Kedumele said in an interview this week, Wednesday, that 'the party executive committee has not yet received the letter or discussed it. I have also heard that there is such a letter, but there is nothing formal.”