Reatile disowns BPF power struggles
Spira Tlhankane | Monday April 6, 2026 06:00
In a strongly worded statement, Reatile positioned himself as a man who stepped away for peace but is not one willing to let what he calls “misrepresentation” and “constitutional misinterpretation” go unchallenged.
“Firstly, I wish to make it clear that I took a conscious and voluntary decision to step aside, with the intention of allowing members of the BPF to freely determine their own path without my influence,” Reatile stated in a recent statement. Yet despite insisting on his withdrawal, Reatile’s intervention reads less like a farewell and more like a warning.
Reatile emphasised in the letter that his exit from leadership was deliberate and principled. “This decision was guided by my commitment to peace, unity, and the long-term progress of the party,” he said. He further underscored that his silence in recent months was an intentional restraint. “Since the November dissolution of Congress and the appointment of the interim committee, I have deliberately refrained from engaging with any media houses in an effort to remain fair and impartial and to allow members to make their decisions freely and without undue influence,” the former Jwaneng Mabutsane legislator added.
But that silence, he suggests, has now been abused as he is now “compelled to speak.” Reatile accuses unnamed factions of dragging his name into ongoing disputes. “However, I am now compelled to speak, as certain factions continue to draw my name into internal disputes which I have deliberately distanced myself from in the interest of stability within the BPF,” he stated.
“At the September 2023 Baisago BPF national congress, no sub-committees, including any so-called disciplinary committee, were appointed. Furthermore, following that congress, no such committee was ever appointed by the national executive committee (NEC). The only committee established thereafter was the electoral board in 2024,” Reatile asserted further as he dismantled claims about internal committees.
Reatile’s clarification comes after the self-declared disciplinary committee recently delivered a dramatic twist worthy of prime-time television. Both Lawrence Ookeditse and Gaolatlhe Galebotswe were suspended as a result. “The disciplinary committee has effected the suspensions of both Ookeditse and Galebotswe as we seek to establish the nature of the issues at hand and determine the best course of action,” read the letter from the DC. Dr Thoko Muzila was reportedly appointed interim president of the BPF with immediate effect.
He said, therefore, it is incorrect and misleading for any individual or group to present themselves as members of said disciplinary committee (DC) that was never constitutionally constituted by the party. Reatile leaned heavily on court findings to reinforce his position, quoting the judgment directly. Recently, in a decisive ruling, the Lobatse High Court dismissed the application with costs, delivering a stinging rebuke to Ookeditse’s faction. Judge William Moncho ruled that “The applicants have failed to establish a prima facie right; hence, an interim interdict cannot be granted”. More significantly, the court signaled growing frustration with the BPF’s reliance on litigation to resolve internal disputes.
“I have, however, found elsewhere that Reatile had the power to dissolve Congress under Clause 20.6.4, which he purported to do on November 1, 2025, albeit for the wrong reasons. For that, the Respondents argue, relying on the Oudekraal decision, that his decision remained valid until it was set aside by the court on review. The same, therefore, went to the election that they purported to conduct under the supervision of the unlawfully appointed acting director. They were equally a nullity so that in the end they may not vest any prima facie right on the applicants,” Reatile noted some part in the judgment.
Reatile’s interpretation of the judgment was clear: key processes and elections within the BPF may lack legal standing. Reatile did not hold back in cautioning party factions who are shaping the current narrative. “Attempts to selectively quote the judgment misrepresent the absence or existence of an ‘emergency’, or create parallel authority structures. These actions only serve to create confusion, division, and instability within the party,” he stated.
Despite the legal undertones and sharp criticism, Reatile insists he is no longer a player in the political contest. “I established an interim committee which was supposed to usher the party to the fair constitutional elections in January 2026. I have stepped aside in good faith and seek no influence over current processes.” Delivering the real punch, Reatile said he will not remain silent when facts are distorted, and his name is soiled for no apparent reason to legitimise unlawful or unconstitutional actions.
Reatile’s latest statement casts a long shadow over the earlier agreement under which he handed over power to Ookeditse in the name of party unity. While he does not explicitly renounce the deal, his assertions reopen the very disputes it sought to bury. Reatile may be out of leadership, but he is far from out of the fight over legitimacy. And within the BPF, the battle over who truly holds constitutional authority appears far from settled.