BDP by-election hopeful claims Facebook hacking

Bonte Seepi | Wednesday January 18, 2017 10:01

 

Addressing a BDP rally here on Friday, Dimeku warned members of his party against opposition party members saying they wanted to destroy his name so that he could lose elections.

Comical posts were made from Dimeku’s Facebook account a few weeks ago, after he emerged victorious in the BDP’s primary elections for the ward in December. Dimeku garnered 155 votes against Boitshoko Kinnear’s 148 and Malebogo Orapeleng’s 42 votes.

Some of the posts, which Dimeku denies posting, attack Botswana Congress Party (BCP) candidate, Area Gabathuse against whom Dimeku will stand in the by election. One post spoke of how Dimeku would wallop Gabathuse because he (Dimeku) is a “bootlicker”.

“My account has been hacked. People are being insulted there. I want to assure you that all those words which have been said there are not mine. It is just some people who are trying to destroy my name. Beware of such bad people whose intentions are to badmouth me and decampaign me,” Dimeku told the rally.

The council hopeful said he suspected opposition members were behind the hacking, which he said was a plot to boost Gabathuse.

Dimeku has since deactivated his Facebook account.

“Ke tla a nama ke deactivatile my fb account because I now see posts tse ke sa di itseng ka my account le gone attached from groups tse ke sa di joinang,” he wrote in a final post on the account.

BDP insiders said there was a possibility the hacking, if it happened, was the work of Dimeku’s fellow party members, after a divisive primary election battle in which many believe the council hopeful was favoured by party leaders.