BCP welcomes BDP defectors
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Tuesday December 1, 2015 17:54
The Botswana Congress Party (BCP) president, Dumelang Saleshando, yesterday said his party would penetrate the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) strongholds, especially the Central District.
Saleshando, was welcoming new members from the BDP, among them members who contested the 2014 general elections as independent candidates.
He said they are still going after the BDP cream in order to weaken it especially in their stronghold.
“Our party is going all out to recruit BDP members. At first it was difficult to penetrate or recruit members of the BDP in the central district. We are doing well in our recruitment in Palapye, Tswapong and other parts of the central district,” Saleshando said. He said the game will be different in 2019 since BDP is going to be weakened in areas where they thought they were untouchable.
Saleshando requested BCP members to allow new members to work for the party and not to discriminate against them.
“We should accommodate and work well with the new members because they could help us even with strategies. Our party needs people who work tirelessly for it,” he said.
The BCP welcomed BDP strategist Onneetse Ramogapi from Letswapo region and Partson Maele from Lerala/Maunatlala.
Those who were absent but announced by BCP vice president Kesitegile Gobotswang as having also joined the BCP, include councillor Joseph Mafoko of Machaneng/Moshopha ward, Oakantse Katholo, Moty Ngwako who contested as an independent candidate for Palapye constituency and Onkemetse Sesinyi.
Gobotswang said other members would be welcomed at a rally which will be held in Palapye in the near future.
Meanwhile, Ramogapi took a swipe on his former political home saying it had been hijacked by a Gaborone group of tenderpreneurs who use BDP membership to enrich themselves.
He said those ‘tenderpreneurs’ had joined the BDP for purposes of connection and to allocate themselves jobs worth millions of Pula.
Ramogapi said what frustrates most at the BDP is the fact that they are not allowed to speak or question ministers on certain issues giving an example of the Matsha tragedy.
He said those who question the party authority are labelled as “digogela thoko”.