BCP infiltrates BDP

Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Friday December 14, 2018 13:15

As the BDP Mogoditshane constituency goes for its primary election over the weekend, those who will battle it out include the former BCP youth league president, Tumiso Rakgare and ex-MP for the area, Patrick Masimolole.

Although the Masimolole team claims to have identified more than 20 members from opposition parties who are on their voters’ roll and yet they have not resigned from their parties, the most well-known is the active BCP member, Phagenyana Phage.

Mmegi has it on good authority that the voters’ roll that will be used is very different from the one that was used in the past primaries since it has been amended and some names removed.

“It is possible that members of another party may appear on the voters’ roll because they could have taken the membership because they wanted to go and vote for a weaker candidate.

It might be unfortunate that some names, now leaked, appear on BDP voters’ roll. The sad reality is that some BCP members might vote over the weekend for the person they want and the one that we want as BDP person might lose,” the source said.

The source explained that the BDP registration of voters starts at the cell, then proceeds to the branch, then to the region and ultimately the party office; hence some BCP members who are on the voters’ roll might had registered at those lower structures.

About 18 people who are on the voters’ roll at Mogoditshane who Mmegi interviewed, including Phage, maintained that they were still BCP members.

“I have not joined BDP but they were once recruiting me. They should produce a membership form, which I signed. I am not the only one who is a BCP member who is on the BDP voters’ roll.

There are more than 10 of us. The person who gave them those names is the one who has a copy of BCP voters’ roll. I think if their whole voters’ roll could be checked, maybe more than 50 people will be our members,” Phage said.

New Mogoditshane branch chairperson, Percy Tshuba said he could not discuss BDP internal documents. He claimed that they have not received any complaint regarding some BCP names on the voters’ roll. 

Masimolole declined to comment on the matter, referring all the questions to the BDP.