BDP Central region delays frustrating appealing candidates
Ryder Gabathuse | Friday September 21, 2018 14:39
The quartet includes Sefane Phuthego (not related to the winner), Tebelelo Seretse, Oteng Thankane and Dr Kolaatamo Malefho. The contention of the quartet generally is that those who conducted the primaries were not competent to run elections of the Serowe South magnitude, as they were sometimes “clueless.” The team that conducted the primaries was from the Kweneng region.
“Look, we appeared orally before the BDP Central region leadership just after the mandatory seven days. Now, instead of the region deciding on our fate, we were shocked when instead last week members of the party’s PEEC (Political Education and Elections Committee) appeared briefly without offering a solution,” decried one frustrated source who preferred anonymity for fear of reprisals. But the Central region deputy chairperson and councillor Keneilwe Monageng denied any attempts by his regional committee to frustrate anyone in the Serowe South constituency.
“We are still handling such matters (protests), but because we have not released the results should not be misconstrued to mean that we are plotting to frustrate anyone,” said Monageng.
He said he would be hamstrung to comment on what was holding the Central region to release their findings on protests because the whole affair is still work in progress.
“I hope that by the end of the week, we would have made decisions and you should understand that we will simply recommend to the Central Committee to make a determination on this political matter.” He stressed that it was procedural for them to follow matters to their finality without speedily rushing through them.
“People ought to know that some of the protests were forwarded directly to the party central committee and they were re-directed to us to deal with them, hence time taken in dealing with them,” Monageng said. The losing Phuthego says his loss was compounded by how his name was presented at some of the polling stations. Despite that there were two Phuthegos, at some polling stations, his name was presented correctly and orderly as Sefane Phuthego whilst at others it was Phuthego Sefane which he views as a serious irregularity.
“I had also pleaded for a recount because it was evident that there was confusion between the two Phuthegos but the returning officer and his team had none of it,” declared visibly frustrated Phuthego, formerly government journalist. Thankane, another losing parliamentary candidate is still looking up to the Central region to provide answers to the primary elections protests.
He acknowledged that sometimes this month, they went through a hearing process and they are still waiting for the region to decide. “PEEC has told us we have to be patient as we will definitely be heard,” said Thankane who has protested on the basis that the number of ballot papers in Serowe South for parliamentary elections did not add up as they were inflated. He also protested because the electoral officers condoned a voters roll that was provided by one of the candidates during the process of the primaries without inviting other candidates to approve it.
As for former cabinet minister and envoy Tebelelo Seretse, she has joined other losers in patiently waiting for the Central region to make a determination on their protests. Seretse like other protesters, explained that, “during the primaries, I requested for a recount and we were simply denied an opportunity”.
Rumours are flying thick and fast that some BDP members in the Serowe South constituency are dragging their feet to register for the 2019 general elections as a protest to the attitude of their party in refusing with a recount.
The BDP Central region deputy chairperson was reluctant to commit himself as to whether the stand off in Serowe South could be affecting the registration process for the 2019 general elections or not.
“I don’t want to commit myself on this matter. But, it might be so because it’s the party candidate who sets the atmosphere for people to register for the elections. In the case of the BDP in Serowe South, the winner is not certain what to do in driving the registration process and equally, the losers are just hanging up there until the matter is duly resolved,” said Monageng.