UDC to discipline defiant councillors
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Monday December 15, 2025 06:00
The coalition is this time troubled by a growing pattern of indiscipline among some of its councillors. For example, some councillors, instead of toeing the party line and respecting caucus decisions, have been breaking ranks and openly siding with opposition parties during crucial council proceedings.
What began as whispers on the ground has now escalated into a matter serious enough to demand the attention of the party’s national leadership. The UDC executive director, Dr Patrick Mmolotsi, confirmed the concerns this week, revealing that the party has indeed received several reports pointing to worrying behaviour within its local government representatives.
Speaking briefly in an interview on Wednesday, he noted that while the party has already engaged some of the implicated councillors, patience is running thin. “We have talked to some of them, and we hope that things will change. Failure to change on their part will leave us with no option but to take serious action against those members. I cannot go further, I am in a meeting,” he said, choosing his words carefully but firmly.
Although Mmolotsi did not disclose the full extent of the tensions, he made it clear that the UDC will not entertain any form of disobedience. According to him, every councillor is expected to attend caucus without fail, and more importantly, to stand by the collective decisions taken there.
He emphasised that chief whips must escalate such cases immediately to the UDC leadership for disciplinary processes to unfold. Information reaching Mmegi indicates that the situation is especially tense in Tlokweng. Councillors in the area, particularly a group from the Botswana National Front (BNF) and a few from the Alliance for Progressives (AP), have reportedly been refusing to attend caucus meetings.
Not only that, but they have been accused of defying caucus resolutions once they step into council chambers. It is alleged that these councillors were recently cautioned and reminded of the consequences of undermining party discipline.
A source familiar with the matter revealed that the BNF held an emergency meeting on Tuesday with the constituency committee to address the behaviour of its councillors. “They were warned. They were told straight that they must remember they are there to represent the party, not themselves. Any wrong behaviour reflects on the party,” the source said.
The challenge is not isolated to Tlokweng. Similar patterns are reportedly emerging across other councils, including the Gaborone City Council and Palapye, among others, signalling what appears to be a broader issue of indiscipline within the UDC’s local government structures.
Furthermore, the source said in several instances, councillors have allegedly been collaborating with Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) councillors on matters that go against UDC caucus agreements.
“Such alliances have raised eyebrows and triggered internal suspicion, as they undermine the very essence of coordinated political strategy,” the source revealed. According to another insider, some councillors have even been flirting with ideas of bringing disruptive motions to the council floor, among them motions of no confidence against certain chairpersons.
“It’s only that they do not have the numbers to back them,” the source noted, suggesting that these attempts would have surfaced much earlier if the dissident councillors believed they had enough support.
These emerging cracks point to a deeper issue within the party's governance structures. While coalition politics naturally brings together individuals from different parties and ideological backgrounds, it also demands a strong culture of discipline and unity if the umbrella is to hold.
When councillors begin acting independently, not in the spirit of collective responsibility but in pursuit of personal or factional agendas, it becomes difficult for the UDC to project itself as a coherent and credible government.
For the UDC leadership, the challenge now lies not only in managing the immediate behaviour but also in restoring confidence within the organisation. On Tuesday, when addressing a press conference, the BNF vice president, Moeti Mohwasa, also mentioned to the members that indiscipline, if left unchecked, not only jeopardises the party’s cohesion but also signals weakness to political opponents.
“The BNF is not bigger than any UDC affiliates. Again, no one is bigger than the party. This is our movement, and we should protect it. BNF is a movement that brings together people of all beliefs, like Marxists and communists. Let us embrace each other. Hence our slogan ‘kopano’,” he said.
As for councillors tempted to defect from the caucus line, their behaviour may appear minor or justified, but in a political environment where numbers, timing and unity shape the outcomes of council motions, every act of defiance has consequences.
Furthermore, coalition structures like the UDC thrive on trust. Once that trust begins to erode, even simple decisions become points of contention. Councillors who ignore the authority of their chief whips, caucus leadership or party executives not only destabilise council operations but also risk tarnishing the party’s reputation among the electorate.
As the UDC prepares to take action where necessary, the message from its leadership is becoming increasingly clear: unity is non-negotiable. And if the party hopes to strengthen its hold in councils across the country, then firm, decisive and timely intervention may be the only way forward.