Moatlhodi, Molapise UDC reconciliation yet to materialise
Chakalisa Dube | Friday November 6, 2020 15:40
Nearly four weeks ago the UDC president, Duma Boko said the UDC National Executive Committee (NEC) has assigned Molapisi to urgently take charge of reconciliation talks between the coalition movement and Moatlhodi.
This week Molapisi told Mmegi that the proposed reconciliation meeting between him and Moatlhodi is yet to take place.
“ The UDC was supposed to give me the terms of reference for my talks with Moatlhodi. I am yet to receive the correspondence from the UDC executive. I do not know if I should give up on the meeting or just wait because the correspondence or scope of the reconciliation talks has taken a longer time to be delivered.”
He added: “ Maybe the Botswana National Front (BNF) has decided that I should not proceed with reconciliation talks. I understand that the BNF had a meeting with Moatlhodi just after the NEC meeting in Francistown. You can contact Moeti Mohwasa who is the BNF secretary general and spokesperson of the UDC for clarity.”
Moatlhodi is a member of the UDC through the BNF. Late last week when asked if he knew anything about the planned reconciliation meeting, Moatlhodi referred Mmegi’s enquires to Molapise.
On the other hand, Mohwasa said that the party would only comment when the reconciliation talks between Moatlhodi and Molapise have been completed.
“ We cannot discuss anything (in relation to the talks) with the media,” he said.
The opposition coalition took a decision to appoint Molapise for the reconciliation meeting after Moatlhodi and UDC vice president Dumelang Saleshando engaged in a verbal war in the media. That was after the UDC suspended Moatlhodi as opposition chief whip in Parliament.
Moatlhodi was suspended after he appeared in court on allegations that he had assaulted a minor. Moatlhodi said that he had not been consulted before the suspension while Saleshando maintained the contrary.
He would also later be suspended from the BNF. Part of the reasons he was suspended by BNF was because of a public spat he had with Saleshando. The BNF suspension was later lifted. That was after the BNF leadership met Moatlhodi and the Tonota constituency leadership in Francistown.
Moatlhodi has continued to speak out against the UDC even after his suspension as chief whip. He recently made it clear that he will defy the decision of the UDC not to participate in the Directorate of Intelligence and Security Committee.
The UDC parliamentary caucus had said it shunned the committee because it has requested a forensic audit and review of the DIS act to ensure that it complied with international standards.