Sorinyane quits BCP

Isaiah Morewagae | Thursday January 16, 2014 17:18

Sorinyane lost the BCP primary elections to Samuel Rantuana in the parliamentary race for Ramotswa constituency.

In last year's primaries, 935 people voted for Rantuana while Sorinyane polled 886. Sorinyane is a member of the BCP central committee representing BCP councillors from around the country.

Sorinyane told Mmegi yesterday that together with another disgruntled losing council candidate, Alfred Malale, they quit the BCP to stand as independent candidates. The duo is protesting the way their primaries' appeals was handled.

Sorinyane alleges that he complained that his opponent was breaching the party's primary election rules and regulations but no action was taken.

'During primary elections candidates are not allowed to hold political rallies, they are not allowed to erect posters or any campaign materials or even make reference through public address systems about whom to vote for or not during primary elections. But all this happened and we notified the party,' Sorinyane said.

Sorinyane said that in almost all wards that he lost, people who did not have Omang cards, Voter Registration cards and or BCP membership cards were allowed to vote, which was against the party's agreed policy regulating primary elections. Malale said they talked to the director of elections Steven Makhura, publicity secretary Taolo Lucas and secretary general Dr Kesitegile Gobotswang about their problems but nothing was done.

'The most undoing in the BCP leadership is that they put friendship before everything. They have failed to take action because those people concerned are their friends. We even took the evidence to the head office but nothing was done about it. We have taken a decision to show the party that we can make it on our own and we are going to win general elections,' Malale said.

Sorinyane and Malale stressed that they are not joining any political party but rather remain independent until general elections. Malale contested and lost primary elections for Sepitswana Ward in Ramotswa. Sorinyane is also saddened by the fact that the BCP leadership failed to acknowledge him after his loss. 'I waited for about five weeks to see if anyone from the party leadership would contact me and map the way forward but nothing happen,' Sorinyane said.

By ignoring him, Sorinyane said he realised that he was no longer valued by the party, so he consulted his voters in Otse about standing as an independent candidate. He said only then did the party president Dumelang Saleshando phone him and advise him to resign before standing as an independent candidate. BCP executive secretary Akanyang Magama confirmed the resignation of the two, adding that no reasons other than that they wanted to stand as independents were advanced to the party.

'It is surprising that they would go and manufacture stories after advancing no reason to the party as to why they resigned,' said Magama.