'BCP four' audiotape leaked

Oarabile Mosikare | Wednesday August 5, 2015 18:00

An audiotape ostensibly exposing conspiratorial discussions between suspended Botswana Congress Party (BCP) members and Botswana Democratic Party seniors has emerged, even as both parties take evasive action over the affair.

The BCP last week suspended former BCP Youth League president, Lotty Seikise Manyapetsa, youth secretary general, Thato Osupile, Oganne Mazwigwila and Virginia Masole for indiscipline.

The party charged that the four prominent members had met with BDP leaders and received money to help destabilise the opposition party.

The four called a press conference yesterday where they all confirmed meeting BDP recruiters but denied receiving money. Osupile and Mazwigwila announced that they had since quit the BCP, while Manyapetsa and Masole said they were “life members”.

Mmegi secured an alleged tape recording of the meeting, in which a conspiracy appears to be hatched to undo the BCP from within, with the ruling party’s help.

The recording starts with someone introducing themselves as Thato Osupile to BDP secretary general, Botsalo Ntuane and the council chairman of the Southern District Council Mephato Reggie Reatile. A voice sounding like Ntuane’s is heard asking for a report on the progress made in recruiting members from within the BCP.

Osupile then gives a report to the BDP seniors saying he is done with the BCP and that he has informed his colleagues in the youth league.

“The issue of opposition unity is one that has divided the BCP. Jaaka Lotty a bua go na le anxiety e ntsi (as Lotty was saying, there is a lot of anxiety). I believe that as we are defecting, there are other people who will follow us.  “That is a role I’m willing to play,” says Osupile on the tape.

Osupile then says he has sold the idea of quitting the BCP to other senior officials within the youth league and says one of these officials has been given a role to paralyse the structures of the youth league.

He also says other youth league seniors have agreed to defect.

“The youth league will not function without us. It will collapse,” Osupile is heard saying. Osupile also claims that together with other co-conspirators, efforts have been made to convince other prominent BCP figures to join the trek out of the party to the BDP.

“He (name of former parliamentary candidate withheld) agreed to defect and said he had visited his constituency to consult the elders, his wife, friends and other people. He says he is disappointed in the party,” Osupile is heard saying.

The former youth league secretary general also claims to have contacted a self-exiled  Gaborone councillor on the possibilities of the councilman ditching the BCP.

In assuring his recruits, Ntuane is heard on the tape saying being disloyal to a party is not a big issue, and that one can join and leave at will “…bo asa boapele”.

Yesterday evening, BCP president, Dumelang Saleshando said he would comment on the audiotape issues, but at press time, he was still unavailable.

Despite the audiotape running on social media, the BCPYL spokesperson, Pako Madigele professed ignorance of the alleged recording, while other members of the same structure could not be reached for comment.

For his part, Ntuane said he could not confirm or deny the meeting and its contents. At a press conference called yesterday afternoon, the BDP secretary general however denied that the ruling party had  “paid anyone any money”.

Meanwhile, during the earlier press conference, Osupile told journalists that he was quitting the party because the environment was no longer conducive for him.  “I joined the BCP in 2006 after graduating from varsity in South Africa. I should be allowed to exercise an independent mind (sic),” said Osupile.

He said earlier in the year he was crucified in the social media when he decided to run for the position of the party’s youth league secretary general in Francistown.

“I went through this period of persecution and took it like a man. We went to Francistown and I won. My life was put in danger and this was done by people who were supposed to be protecting my civil liberties,” said Osupile.

“I was victimised beyond limit.”

Osupile also claimed that the BCP had failed to manage the issue of opposition cooperation. While saying he supports opposition cooperation, Osupile said members of the BCP should not be discouraged from crossing to the BDP.

“Some of the BDP members are our elders and the BDP is one of the parties in Botswana,” he said.

His fellow ‘resignee”, Mazwigwila, said the procedure for the disciplinary action was not followed when he was suspended from the BCP.  For his part, Manyapetsa said he was standing firm in the party.

“I am here to give solidarity to my fellow comrades who were suspended with me,” he said.