Motshwarakgole, Kenosi Rivalry Re-emerges At BOPEU Congress
Monkagedi Gaothobogwe | Monday December 7, 2015 16:33
At the recent BOPEU Congress in Palapye, Kenosi openly took an anti-BOFEPUSU stance. Motshwarakgole is the face of BOFEPUSU.
Kenosi laid bare the shenanigans of power-play between BOFEPUSU and BOPEU and openly attacked BOFEPUSU for ill-treating the latter.
Observers have read Kenosi’s venomous comments at the BOPEU Congress as the revival of the old foes’ power games.
Back in 2012 Kenosi became the first person to challenge Motshwarakgole at the elections, when both men were contesting for the position of organising secretary of BOFEPUSU. The campaign was fierce, but Motshwarakgole prevailed eventually in the 2012 BOFEPUSU elective congress.
It now looks like the two men are at it again as rivalry reared its ugly head at the last week’s event in Palapye. Kenosi openly spoke of BOFEPUSU’s deliberate act to snub the BOPEU Congress, BOFEPUSU’s failure to stand up in solidarity with BOPEU during the BURS strike a few months ago, and how BOFEPUSU colluded against BOPEU in the elective congress early this year, to deny them the presidency of BOFEPUSU. In an aside interview with The Monitor Kenosi said he was not happy with the way BOFEPUSU was being run. “It is quite frightening that BOFEPUSU leadership could claim that they were not aware of BOPEU’s congress when they scheduled the salary negotiations meeting in the same week.” “I have no regrets whatsoever on what I said and I’m very prepared to continue to shed light to the public in general on some events that don’t give some of us sleepless nights, should decisions of BOFEPUSU continue not to be of collectiveness among the affiliates.”Kenosi said one of the key issues that worry him most is failure by BOFEPUSU to present audited reports. “I’m not aware of any day a BOFEPUSU meeting discussed finances; all I remember is discussing the increase in subscriptions”. Kenosi felt strongly about the need to embrace financial accountability since affiliates are contributing a lot of money to BOFEPUSU. Kenosi said his union, the BTU, with membership of more than 18,000, contributes about P450,000 in subscriptions in a year to BOFEPUSU, as well as over a million to BOFEPUSU’s side projects.
“Demanding accountability should not in any be confused for enmity but should rather be viewed as being constructive.”