Masisi, Venson Moitoi meet business as usual
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Friday April 12, 2019 18:00
In his acceptance speech, Masisi said: “With the same spirit conveyed let me commend, congratulate, applaud the vibrant and gallant and spirited campaign that Mma Moitoi put into this. I encourage all of you to embrace the democratic practice of competition”.
Masisi also said he was going to call Venson-Moitoi to join him in uniting the party. Earlier in the morning of April 5, the former Minister, Venson-Moitoi called an impromptu press conference where she announced that she was withdrawing from the race.
“I withdraw from running because I will not promote a sham. That election has been rigged before they started. Contesting will be legitimising a flawed process,” she said to battalion of journalists that thronged here farm base in Kang for the historic congress.
A day before, a panel of three High Court Judges had dismissed her challenge against the Kang congress ruling that she was not rightfully before the court and her urgency about the matter was self created.
Since the fateful December 2018 when the former Minister let the nation know about her ambitions, her political journey has been rough. The following day Masisi fired her from Cabinet.
The campaign also was not a smooth sail. Late February 2019 some of her colleagues who attended a campaign meeting called by party elders in her hometown of Serowe, were called for disciplinary hearing.
The 14 regions also shunned her as they endorsed President Masisi. One of her foot soldiers, Tati East MP Samson Guma Moyo had to run to South Africa because he claimed he feared for his life. Stakes were stark against her. Hence she accepted an invitation to meet the President on Monday to iron out their differences.
Apparently, Venson-Moitoi was not happy that Masisi had made an announcement at the congress that he would be touring the country with her to unify democrats when he did not consult her first. That did not sit well with her.
The two protagonists met at the Office of the President. According to sources close to the two, the meeting turned out to be a meet and greet session. Both parties seemed not to have an agenda and the reason for meeting. The source added that Venson-Moitoi’s team advised her that she should hear out the President’s views first.
“Truly speaking, I cannot tell what the importance of that meeting was. We never discussed anything relating to peace-making. Rather the President simply said he wanted Venson-Moitoi to attend to party activities and to hold a press conference with Vice President, Slumber Tsogwane to show that there is peace in the party,” Venson-Moitoi’s husband, Prince Moitoi revealed.
He said Venson-Moitoi could not respond on the issue because there was nothing so serious that was put on the plate.
Moitoi said their team was not bitter but it was difficult to tell if there would be peace after what transpired at Kang. He continued: “We are going to meet soon to do our postmortem and to map the way forward. Any move that we take or make will be determined by the followers”.
For his part the BDP subcommittee on communication, chairperson Kagelelo Kentse said he was unable to share details about the meeting because of the sensitive nature of the matter and that it was internal.