Expel the expeller, BPF’s entrenched pattern
Spira Tlhankane | Sunday November 9, 2025 12:49
The BPF has developed a peculiar political culture where those who expel others today often find themselves expelled tomorrow. The latest episode aired this past weekend when the man who won a disputed election, Lawrence Ookeditse’s faction, revoked the membership of Mephato Reatile, the very man who, only hours earlier, had expelled him and his allies from the same party.
This “expel-the-expeller” dynamic has become the defining feature of the BPF’s tumultuous internal life, with almost every leadership dispute ending in a round of expulsions followed by a court battle.
Founded in 2019 with promises of disciplined leadership and reformist zeal, the BPF has instead become notorious for its internal wars. The once-promising movement, born out of dissent within the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), now mirrors the very dysfunction it set out to challenge.
Each disciplinary decision seems to trigger a countermeasure. When one faction suspends another, the suspended group retaliates with its own “expulsion letter”. The BPF letterhead has been busy as expelled leaders turn around and expel their purported expeller, often using the same party constitution to justify their action. Courts are then left to decide who the legitimate leader is, as party structures crumble under the weight of endless litigation.
The Butale years: Birth of the cycle
The now-infamous “expel the expeller” culture first gained notoriety during the leadership of Biggie Butale. Butale in 2023 was dramatically ousted by the then BPF National Executive Committee (NEC), which accused him of misconduct. Butale hit back with his own expulsions and court challenges, insisting he was the legitimate party president.
In July 2023, Butale was suspended by the party’s disciplinary committee and was accused of having caused and encouraged some members of the party to campaign against the BPF and its decisions at the Mmaphula East ward by-election.
He was also accused of having failed to declare funds received on behalf of the party and of allegedly working with party rivals to destabilise the BPF.
Following his suspension, Butale retaliated by recalling then vice president, Reatile, secretary for information and publicity, Ookeditse, and secretary for health, Kolaatamo Malefho, from their positions in the NEC and suspended them from the party in the “interest of peace and stability”.
Butale further cited “indiscipline, insubordination, and causing divisions in the party” as reasons to suspend the trio for bringing the party into “disrepute” and “threatening its survival”.
Butale’s action infuriated the Disciplinary Committee (DC), and the then secretary-general (SG) Tshekedi Khama later announced that the DC had expelled the suspended president because he (Butale) had violated the conditions of his suspension. Butale was accused of convening meetings in Palapye and Mahalapye, presenting as a member of the BPF NEC, and further conducting media interviews wherein he dismissed his suspension.
The DC revealed that with a quorum of five members, it met and recommended Butale’s expulsion. The BPF NEC allegedly met and expelled Butale.
On the same day, Butale then wrote a letter to Tshekedi, pointing out that the BPF NEC and DC do not have the capacity to suspend or expel him from the BPF.
He indicated that the DC was not properly constituted in terms of the constitution and that members who sat were not appointed by the NEC, specifically the author of his suspension letter, Barulaganye Letang.
Despite this correspondence to Tshekedi, Butale, having failed to get control of the party from Reatile and company, decided to approach the court on urgent terms to return to the helm of the party.
Butale wanted his purported suspension lifted and subsequent stay. He also wanted to remain recognised as president, and his purported suspension and subsequent expulsion be nullified.
Butale at one point even sought to have the entire NEC jailed for contempt, after they defied a court order recognising his leadership. The NEC narrowly avoided prison, yet the feud left deep scars.
By late 2023, Butale was expelled permanently, and the BPF was fractured beyond repair. His departure did not end the trend, but it merely passed the baton to a new generation of “expellers” now facing the same fate.
History repeats
itself: Reatile vs Ookeditse
The Reatile-Ookeditse clash marks the latest reincarnation of this cycle. In what has become standard BPF practice, Reatile’s faction declared the opposing camp expelled, only to be swiftly counter-expelled by the same group hours later.
During the chaotic Serowe congress recently, Reatile, who claims to have used his powers to dissolve the congress, says Ookeditse and co. deliberately defied his authority as party president and continued to mislead delegates by participating in and presiding over an unlawful electoral process.
“You are therefore found guilty of the following misconduct: inciting members of the party to cast votes in an illegal election, participating in and supervising an unconstitutional process, disobeying and disregarding a direct presidential directive, and displaying gross disrespect towards the Directorate of Elections and Party leadership. In view of these serious breaches and in the interest of protecting the integrity, unity, and credibility of the BPF, I hereby expel you from the BPF with immediate effect,” read Reatile’s suspension letters as he expelled Ookeditse and Baratiwa Mathoothe after the latter continued with the elective congress on Saturday.
Both Ookeditse and Reatile cite constitutional authority; both claim to represent the “real” BPF. Ookeditse and Mathoothe ignored the letters and continued with the elections, which they ended up winning. After Ookeditse’s camp won, the congress expelled Reatile and Modiri Jojo Lucas. Lucas ignored his expulsion and went on to issue a communiqué claiming that he is the interim party spokesperson despite Ookeditse’s camp having elected Ogaufi Nthobelang in Serowe.
Observers say this bizarre loop reveals a deeper weakness in the party’s structures. “BPF has become a battlefield of letters and lawyers. No one accepts defeat; everyone has a letterhead and a lawyer ready,” one party insider told Mmegi.
Repeatedly, the courts have been called upon to decide who leads the BPF, a role that should belong to members and the party’s own constitution. From Butale’s multiple reinstatements to the NEC’s courtroom battles, judges have effectively become the final arbiters of BPF leadership.
Political analysts see the “expel-the-expeller” phenomenon as symptomatic of a party driven by personal rivalries rather than ideology. After the Serowe debacle, grassroots members are left confused, unsure which faction to follow.
With the Reatile-Ookeditse confrontation probably heading toward yet another courtroom showdown, it appears the BPF remains stuck in a loop of its own making. Until it breaks the habit of “expelling the expeller,” BPF is said to be risking expelling itself from political relevance.