Butale accuses Balopi of favouritism
Mpho Mokwape | Friday December 7, 2018 18:00
Butale, who has taken the party to court, has revealed in his founding affidavit that Simon Moabi who is cited as the third respondent in the matter was a fan favourite of Balopi and was given support to topple him.
In the affidavit filed through Monthe Marumo and Company, Butale explained that Balopi extended support to the third respondent with the instruction to topple him through supporters’ mobilisation.
He said that he has advised the Appeals Board that Balopi displayed lack of impartiality when the support was extended to Moabi much to Butale’s detriment and that of other candidates.
“I advised the Appeals Board prior to the primary elections that the main party structure, the head office through the office of the secretary general has displayed a lack of impartiality when the candidate was given support,” he said.
He mentioned that Moabi was given campaign material including 400 t-shirts, two motor vehicles that fuelled and with drivers for him to use in mobilising his supporters as the instruction had been to topple him (Butale).
“I further advised the Board that lack of impartiality had also been demonstrated by the fact that my attempts to register my voters were frustrated as 70 of my registration books were rejected. Also, I explained that I had written to the secretary general about the conduct of the candidate several times, but my contentions were never addressed,” he said.
Butale further said in his affidavit that despite even the chairperson of the regional committee, Anthony Chebani having made oral submissions before the Board, the third respondent had in fact pointed out that there were irregularities.
This meant that Moabi admitted that there were boxes that were transferred from Kalakamati and also denied that the said boxes were moved without counting and were counted elsewhere.
Butale said the Board accepted that when reaching their decision to have a re-run in the entire constituency, the regional committee was certainly driven by what was seen as irregularities.
The Tati West MP had further mentioned four other candidates who had written letters and complained about the irregularities citing that the decision made by the Appeals Board was not only irrational but also illegal.
“The decision deliberately ignored many considerations including that the regional committee had indicated that there were gross irregularities in the wards and that the chairperson gave evidence to the effect that the third respondent had accepted that there were irregularities,” he said.
Butale said the Appeals Board failed to act within the parameters of its own rules and in consequence thereof acted irrationally and illegally when deciding on the matter.Further Butale, who has made a review application, is seeking an order setting aside the decision of the party’s Appeals Board.
The grounds for his appeal are that the party’s constitution and regulations were infringed upon and proper procedure was not followed as the ballot papers were allowed to leave the polling station uncounted contrary to the rules.
That the voters’ roll was not ascertained prior to the elections and that a considerable number of voters were denied their right to be registered and included in the voters’ roll. Further, that the presiding officers’ conduct was undesirable in the circumstances and that the procedure laid down in the constitution pertaining to counting was not followed.