BDP offers refunds for by-election dropouts
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Wednesday March 9, 2016 17:51
BDP members contesting in the party’s primaries at council level are required to pay a sum of P2,500.
Yesterday BDP secretary general, Botsalo Ntuane told a press conference that the ruling party is ready to refund anyone who is willing to opt out before Friday, the day before the party’s primaries in the ward.
“We cannot force our members to compromise but at times compromise works well for the party. Our members at Sekoma were not forced to do so but they are the ones who informed the central committee about their decision and we endorsed it. The central committee also approved names that were accepted by the branch committee,” Ntuane said.
The BDP candidates for the upcoming Phillip Matante ward by-elections are Segametsi Sebenyane, Elizabeth Morebodi, Olatotswe Speakson, Peter Nare, Ditiro Morebodi and Kgabinyana Masalila.
Ntuane is confident that the party will win the by-election, coming fresh off their Sekoma weekend win. “We are going to win any by-election that comes,” he said.
“I don’t understand why you people have failed to pick up that all by-elections that we lost were previously won by the opposition in the 2014 general elections. The opposition were retaining what was theirs.
“The Umbrella for Democratic Change is the one which lost the most because it lost two wards that it had previously won, the Mochudi one and Sekoma one.” Meanwhile, Reggie Reatile who was the party’s campaign manager at Sekoma ward, dismissed reports that the BDP won the ward by offering voters food and other inducements.
“What I know is that we had four bases as the BDP. In those areas or bases we ate our breakfast, lunch and supper but we were also willing to share with anyone who asked, regardless of party affiliation. In the villages, people share food,” Reatile said.