Masitara, cllrs bury hatchet
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Wednesday April 23, 2014 11:30
In the past few weeks, Masitara’s candidature has been shrouded in controversy following the demand by some of his council candidates that he be recalled.
His detractors had written and held meeting with the BDP central committee to seek a new parliamentary candidate after the legislator had ‘joked’ that he was going to Canada and would return two weeks before the general elections in October.
The BDP secretary general Mpho Balopi told Mmegi yesterday that the Masitara confusion had been sorted out.
Balopi said they held a meeting last Thursday at Diphetogo Primary School to resolve the misunderstanding amongst the councillors, the branch and the MP. He said Masitara called the meeting because he wanted the issue to be laid to rest as it was de-campaigning the party. Balopi said the meeting agreed that Masitara and his councillors would form a campaign team this week and tour all the wards together as part of their campaigns. “Masitara has assured us that he was joking and that he will not go anywhere during this time of election preparation. We expect Masitara and his team to hold weekly meetings and the central committee will be monitoring them,” said Balopi.
He said all the BDP members are supposed to take part in the campaigns and to work hand in hand. However, some of Masitara’s council candidates are of the opinion that the party will not win the constituency under his candidacy.
“Even though the party insists that the issue should be laid to rest we don’t think Masitara can give Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) Duma Boko and Botswana Congress Party (BCP) candidate Anna Motlhagodi any challenge,” said one of the council candidates anonymously.
Another said Masitara’s ‘joke’ has de-campaigned the BDP to a point that people cannot trust him anymore.