Moswaane, UDC torment BDP
Ryder Gabathuse | Friday December 4, 2020 17:18
FRANCISTOWN: If it wasn’t for the stringent COVID-19 regulations, the controversial legislator and maverick Moswaane, promises that he and masses of defectors from the BDP, were going to literally set Francistown-West constituency alight.
The UDC was going to flaunt its whole catch at the rally and send an appropriate message to the Doubting Thomases about the real political climate in the area and who is in charge.
Moswaane, who will be the cynosure of all eyes in particular at an undisclosed venue within the constituency, is expected to be amongst hordes of former BDP diehards, who have simply sworn, “We follow our leader Moswaane.”
UDC president Duma Boko and other top party leaders will Saturday duly welcome former BDP loyalists who ran the party within the constituency and their followers before defecting to the opposition coalition.
Perhaps, to show the real intention, two BDP loyalists and sitting councillors recently defected to the UDC in a move seemingly intended to send shockwaves across the BDP which has been in charge of the constituency since 2009.
The two councillors, Kago Phillime (elected) and nominated councillor Otsile Moses have joined UDC’s duo that was elected in the 2019 general election to ensure that at this juncture, the UDC has four councillors.
Currently, the ruling BDP has four councillors, Gilbert Boikhutso (nominated) and elected trio of Ontiretse Bakaile, Ramolotsana Gaethuse (deputy mayor) and Gopolang Almando.
Moswaane claims that he has a surprise that will emerge from the weekend rally, where he claims tables are going to turn in terms of numbers for the UDC councillors which he claims will increase drastically.
Moswaane’s hope is buoyed by ‘internal squabbles’ allegedly bedeviling the ruling party and blamed on the recent action by the BDP region chairperson Baemedi Medupe. Medupe is alleged to have infuriated BDP diehards in the Francistown West branch whereupon he is claimed to have unilaterally imposed new faces as the branch leadership.
“Medupe unilaterally disregarded counsel from within the branch to co-opt only four people to beef up the limping branch committee of 18 members and instead, he chose to bring new faces altogether. He even threatened to call the police and thereby causing unnecessary confusion,” a member close to the development, told Mmegi this week.
This is despite that, Vice President and BDP chairperson, Slumber Tsogwane recently called a meeting and advised BDP members that in Francistown West branch where the party structures have shortage of members, to easily co-opt members.
The BDP region chairperson, Medupe’s attitude in dealing with the Francistown-West saga has attracted suggestions that he has scored an own-goal looking at the backlash of unhappy BDP activists destined to allegedly troop out of the party in protest. At a recent branch meeting, only four party members reportedly turned up to a scheduled meeting intended to fill up positions left by those who exited the party with Moswaane.
Issues of mistrust have also cropped up, as the party wants to get rid of those apparently perceived to be pro-Moswaane. There is a mess within the party structures now as efforts to stem out Moswaane’s influence has stirred a honest’s nest with people left out in the cold for fear that they could be Moswaane’s supporters.
Now, reports from the Francistown West constituency suggest that those that were removed from the party structures after they were mistaken to be Moswaane’s supporters have since petitioned the party protesting Medupe’s decision.
Meanwhile, Moswaane told Mmegi this week that over the weekend, the BDP should brace itself for massive resignations of those aggrieved by the hurried decisions.
It’s apparent that BDP now in the Francistown West is divided between Raoboy Mpuang and Gregory Kealotswe. Already there are queries that Medupe favours businessman Kealotswe something that has further left BDP diehards at each other’s throats.
If the BDP does not put its house in order well in time, it may be tough for it to survive the UDC storm that is currently blowing across the constituency.
Moswaane is a self-confessed product of the late Tshelang Masisi (MHSRIP) who was the area legislator through what Masisi used to call Tshekwaneism and Ferefereism, which are techniques of winning elections by incessantly winning the minds and hearts of hoi polloi.
Time will tell how strong Moswaane is as a representative of the people. In 2009, Moswaane had won the BDP council seat by a marginal one vote and a re-election was ordered which saw him losing. He would then stand as an independent candidate and beat the BDP candidate at Monarch, Baboni Mosalagae, before he (Moswaane) re-joined the BDP.
In 2004, the BDP had ordered a re-run without anyone protesting the primaries and Moswaane would later win.
In 2013, following the passing on of the then incumbent Francistown-West legislator, Tshelang Masisi, Moswaane failed to contest for a parliamentary by-election after a BDP candidate, White Marobela had taken the matter to court barring Moswaane to contest citing primary election irregularities.
Subsequently in the 2019 general election, Moswaane’s launch as a parliamentary candidate was delayed after a last minute cancellation without any explanation when preparations were advanced including food that was cooked.
Moswaane resigned from the BDP this year after he continuously accused the President Mokgweetsi Masisi-led government of condoning corruption.
“Following my suspension from the BDP for merely condemning corruption, the current crop of BDP MPs cannot talk about corruption in our society and no one is really going to condemn it for fear of reprisals,” suggested Moswaane.
He left the BDP at a time when he was accusing his party of failing to curb the ever-rising youth unemployment, corruption and other societal ills.
Medupe is not at liberty to preempt any massive resignations from the BDP as he takes that people are members of the party through their own choices and not anyone else.
‘People will make their own choices if they choose to leave the BDP and follow Moswaane,” said Medupe who insisted that he wasn’t aware of any impending exodus from the BDP anytime soon.
He was particularly worried by people who keep on taking party matters to the newspapers even before exhausting the laid down procedures of dealing with disputes.
Instead of simply explaining whether the BDP is indeed currently rocked by factionalism in Francistown West, which he is accused to be encouraging, he said: “BDP members in good standing will not go to the newspapers without reporting issues to the party structures.”
Medupe acknowledges to have heard rumours of him messing the constituency flying thick and fast in the social media.
“Those will not help anyone as it will not provide any solution. The party has properly working structures including the central committee that will give anyone a hearing,” stressed Medupe. He denied to be fanning factionalism by favouring supporters of Kealotswe as opposed to those of Mpuang. He said as the chairperson of the party’s Francistown region, he is not part of the branch, but by virtue of his position he is only an ex-officio member.“ What I know is that the Francistown branch has met and a decision was made. As the party region chairperson, I can be invited to any branch and I can’t simply call a branch meeting and tell them what to do,” he explained.
For now, officially, Medupe has nothing tangible to talk about people that are expected to leave the BDP enmasse.
He currently knows about the resignations of Moswaane and the two councillors. As for the rest that are expected to resign from the BDP over the weekend, Medupe prefers to wait until the right moment.
“Let’s wait for what will happen over the weekend if anything will happen at all,” he said, acknowledging that he has picked wind of possible defections but he has nothing to talk about them with authority.