Masitara and cllrs at war again

Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Friday July 4, 2014 06:59

 

The parties were called to a meeting at Tsholetsa House yesterday to thrash out their differences. Masitara was conspicuous by his absence during the meeting. 

News reaching Mmegi is that the Gaborone regional committee recently reported the matter to the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) central committee, asking for intervention. This is hardly two months after the parties claimed to have buried the hatchet. 

“The situation is bad because Masitara is nowhere to be found. He is not taking our calls as his council candidates. Really the constituency is as good as lost because of Masitara,” said one of the council candidates. 

It is alleged that campaigning is not Masitara’s concern as he is busy running his personal business, Masitara Forensics, in Tlokweng. 

They allege that Masitara is avoiding the electorate after promising them manna from heaven during the 2009 general elections. “The electorate want him to deliver on his promises hence he is avoiding house-to-house campaigns.” 

Another issue raised by the concerned candidates is that Masitara’s campaign manager Emmanuel Seretse is allegedly de-campaigning them. Masitara also allegedly told his council candidates that they should not sell his candidature in their campaigns. 

Recently, the branch committee took away the campaign vehicle from the driver. “So we don’t have access to the campaign car.” 

The secretary for Gaborone regional committee, Ontibile Kgomoyarona confirmed the meeting with the central committee. But he denied that they were meeting the central committee because of Masitara’s non-visibility in the constituency. 

In the past few months, 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 meetings 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. 

Efforts to reach Masitara and the BDP secretariat were futile at the time of going to press.