Kgafela joins BDP
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Friday January 20, 2017 18:00
Although the move has divided the royal family, Kgafela has agreed to be the BDP Mochudi West MP candidate.
That means the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) candidate, Gilbert Mangole will face Kgafela come 2019.
Yesterday, Kgafela who like his elder brother is a lawyer, told Mmegi that, “It is still premature to talk to the media about the issue. I am still consulting in order to talk to the media”.
However, the BDP MP responsible for the constituency and also Minister of Basic Education, Unity Dow said, “I am aware that there are efforts to recruit Mmusi to the party. I am not aware of the details in progress. The BDP is all out recruiting people in the party and that is a welcome development”.
Mmegi has it on good authority that the discussion on the matter started during the festive season and the delegation compromised BDP six elders. “Some party elders met and felt that they could win the area from the opposition if they recruited one of the royal members. Should one of the royal members joined BDP, then Bakgatla will be able to have faith and hope in the BDP. The only problem is that the issue was not discussed with relevant party structures in the area,” one source said.
The source said some of the people who were recruiting Kgafela are anti-Dow.
Another source said: “This move was done deliberately to topple Dow by some party members who did not support her during the 2014 elections. There is a saying in Kgatleng ‘Ga nke di etelelwa pele ke tse dinamagadi’. This is likely going to divide the maDomi in the constituency”. The source also revealed that consultation among Kgafela’s family members is continuing as some had told him that they are uncomfortable with the move.
Some family members, according the source, feel that Kgafela could not be contesting for the BDP after what government had done to his elder brother. Apparently, the Bakgatla paramount chief has given his brother his blessing.
“Some dikgosana have been briefed and some are yet to be briefed about the development. Kgafela will be welcomed soon to the BDP, and some believe that he should start attending party activities starting with Rasesa ward,” a source said.
The source revealed that the delegation was made up of Mpho Moruakgomo and former Kgatleng West MP, Rakwadi Modipane. For his part, Moruakgomo denied ever-recruiting Kgafela saying, “I don’t have a problem with people joining the BDP. But I don’t like to be associated with something that I didn’t do”. Efforts to get a comment from Modipane failed.
Kgafela’s family and Government did not see eye-to-eye after their chief was dragged before court for various offences related to his rule. Subsequently, Kgafela fled to South Africa where he got citizenship.