Mabaila hearing this Friday
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Tuesday September 25, 2018 11:30
BDP disciplinary hearing committee could not form a quorum. Mabaila was slapped with two months suspension for different offences.
Despite time running out for Mabaila to start his campaign as a candidate or the party finding another candidate, members of the disciplinary committee failed to show up last Friday. The matter got worse after BDP National Disciplinary Committee (NDC) vice chairperson, Yame Kebabonye made the accused person and their witnesses wait for 40 minutes thinking that disciplinary committee members would show up.
The vice chairperson of NDC, Kebabonye had written, “We invite you to, within 14 days of receipt of this notice, furnish us with your written statement of defence. The statement must be furnished to us through the party secretariat, at Tsholetsa House and kindly serve the complainant”.
The party leader and President Mokgweetsi Masisi had alleged that Mabaila had committed offences against the rules and regulations and General Code of Conduct of the ruling party. Some of the offences listed include behaving in a grossly disorderly and unruly manner that might put the party name into disrepute contrary to General Code of Conduct number 11 and sowing seeds of discord in the party, using regionalism, tribalism or factionalism contrary to General Code of Conduct Number 6.
Another offence is contemptuous behaviour towards the BDP leadership and other members contrary to General Code of Conduct Number 7. “As a party member you were obliged to abide by the constitution, rules and regulations of the party, and are expected to promote the philosophy, policies and programmes as stated particularly in Article 14 sub-section 1 and 2 thereof.
Mogoditshane branch secretary Ikanyeng Tshiamo had said, “He [Mabaila] does not regard nor respect the existing branch committee and only uses the chairperson and the branch treasurer to push his own agenda, address public BDP meetings without involvement of the branch committee as a whole. He has actually established a faction, which is mostly made of his primary election campaign team. This is against article 8 and 9 of the general code of conduct, as if this was not enough Mabaila posted on the Mogoditshane WhatsApp group that former president Ian Khama would visit Mogoditshane on August 10 and he would meet with democrat veterans”.
Tshiamo said this was done without proper consultation with relevant structures like the regional committee and the branch. “He does not hide the fact that he is against our President Masisi as he has publicly declared that he has so much respect for Khama as he has mentored him and made him what he is and so does his loyalty lie with him.”