Boko's BNF membership under scrutiny
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Wednesday March 19, 2014 15:09
The disgruntled members have engaged attorney Meshack Mthimkhulu to sue Boko and some members of his executive committee. The group has filed an urgent application saying that Boko committed perjury when giving evidence which influenced the High Court to rule in his favour in a dispute over his party membership four years ago.In papers filed at the High Court in Gaborone yesterday, the group said Boko knowingly and intentionally withheld material information with fraudulent intent.
They say Boko is not qualified to be the president of the BNF since he does not hold a valid party membership card.
The Temporary Platform argues that Boko’s membership card is a product of fraud and therefore a nullity.
The group demands that the BNF presidency should be declared vacant. The platform requested the court to restrain Boko and interdict him forthwith from holding himself out as president and exercising the functions of the BNF, any power or authority on behalf of the party pending the outcome of the application.
The Temporary Platform requests that in the meantime, BNF vice-president, Same Bathobakae be ordered to assume the BNF presidency in an acting capacity as per clause 20.4 of the party constitution. Most of the applicants in the case, including their lawyer, Mthimkhulu lost in the primaries for BNF parliamentary candidates.
The lawyer lost to Murray Dipate in Gaborone South, Geoffrey Serebolo lost to Abram Kesupile in Kanye South, Jacob Dituelo was beaten by Reverend Prince Dibeela in the Mmathethe/Molapowabojang and Mokgweetsi Kgosipula was defeated by Mohammed Khan in the Molepolole North.
Yesterday, the group asked the court to declare some of the losers as BNF candidates for the October general elections.
It said the decision of the party top brass to bar some members from contesting in certain constituencies and wards is in violation of the BNF constitution and therefore null and void.
Members of the Temporary Platform have joined hands with the duo that teamed up with the expelled Gabriel Kanjabanga to challenge Boko’s party membership.
Kitso Toister and Moses Kajane recently won a case barring BNF from using its symbol on the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) symbol.
BNF has teamed up with BPP and BMD to form UDC.