Bontshetse/BNF in court today
Oarabile Mosikare | Friday September 19, 2014 13:00
In an urgent application before the Francistown High Court today, Bontshetse wants the court to review and set aside the decisions of the executive committee of the Botswana National Front (BNF) to recall and suspend him. Bontshetse was suspended from the BNF on August 29, 2014 over allegations that he was giving media interviews without authority.
In his founding affidavit filed before Justice Zibani Makhwade, Bontshetse alluded to a meeting where the BNF executive committee comprised Ferdinand Kgosikoma, Same Bathobakae and Abraham Kesupile asked him to pave way for Moatlhodi, as the former deputy Speaker of the National Assembly he was popular in the area.
The BNF, together with the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD) and Botswana Peoples Party (BPP), is in the UDC coalition.
Moatlhodi is cited as the third respondent in the urgent application.
The former Member of Parliament for Tonota lost Botswana Democratic Party primary elections against Thapelo Olopeng last November.
The BNF and UDC are first and second respondents respectively.
“Whilst I admit that the executive committee has discretion to make decisions which it feels are in the interest of the party, my recalling was made dishonestly,” said Bontshetse.
He said the decision to recall him cannot be said to be in the interest of the BNF.
“My suspension is also made in bad faith and with the sole purpose to frustrate my efforts to represent the people of Tonota.
It cannot be expected of me to wait for an indefinite date for any disciplinary hearing which I am not sure will come at anytime,” reads the court papers.
Bontshetse said the party structures gave him a cold shoulder when he complained about the unfair treatment hence he approached the High Court.
He prayed that the court award cost on a punitive scale against the BNF because it has persistently ignored giving him redress knowing very well that its decision are without any basis in law and in fact.
As regards the UDC, he said in the event it opposes his application it should pay costs on attorney and own client scale for it would be defending the decisions, which it did not make.
He also prayed for costs against Moatlhodi in the event that he opposed this application. Bontshetse has engaged attorneys Atang Latelang and Steve Sibanda to move his application while Obonye Jonas will defend the BNF. Attorney Mboki Chilisa has been engaged to defend UDC and Moatlhodi.
At the time of going to press the respondents have not filed their papers.