SRC Locked Out To Avoid Fisticuffs

By Monkagedi Gaotlhobogwe
Correspondent | Monday April 16, 2007 00:00

'We now have two rival SRCs on the verge of fisticuffs. If we allow them access to the offices, we could have bloodshed,' said the mediator, Kitso Sedisa, is the Director of Student Welfare.

After sweeping all thirteen seats in the elections, the Botswana Democratic Party's chapter at UB, GS 26, has had access denied by the erstwhile committee made up of loyalists of the opposition Botswana National Front (BNF) and Botswana Congress Party (BCP).

The dreadful interregnum has persisted against efforts of a commission to enquire into election irregularities alleged by the former SRC and reconciliation by the mediator. 
The composition of the Commission of Enquiry, seen as self-serving because it was appointed by the erstwhile committee,  has been changed after a reconciliatory meeting convened by the mediator bore no fruit.

Sedisa confirmed last Friday that after meeting both parties, new commissioners were appointed mainly to replace lecturers Motsumi Marobela and Log Raditlhokwa . Both men are outspoken cadres of opposition parties.

Law professors John Kiggundu and Emmanuel Quansam are two of the new commissioners.

Their major task is to interprete a wearisome clause in the constitution of the SRC relating to the announcement and confirmation of election results. It has been agreed that their findings - especially regarding the objections raised by the BNF and BCP camps - will be final.

'We expect enquiries to be concluded as soon as possible so that we can open the SRC offices by Wednesday,' said Sedisa, the mediator.

Despite sweeping all seats in the elections, it has emerged that the BDP chapter was elected by less than 30 percent of approximately 3000 voters, while both the opposition BNF and BCP tallied 64 percent.