Pilane and Morwaeng unshaken by sacking

RYDER GABATHUSE and
TSHIRELETSO MOTLOGELWA
Staff Writers | Friday April 9, 2010 00:00

 

BDP executive secretary, Comma Serema, confirmed that Pilane and Morwaeng were fired for 'incessantly defying orders'.'They got their letters before lunch today. They denounced the party membership openly including party policies and those of the BDP government,' he said on Thursday.

Serema stated that the decision of the party leadership is informed by provisions of Article 7 of the BDP constitution, which states: 'BDP membership is voluntary and open to all Batswana who accept the party's policies and programmes and are not members of other political parties or organisations whose policies and aspirations are incompatible of those of the party.'

Serema said the continuous pronouncements by Pilane and others through the electronic and print media means the group has renounced its membership of the BDP.

Pilane, also the spokesperson for the Barata-Phathi, said yesterday that he had not yet received a letter of expulsion from the BDP.

'I am yet to receive such a letter. But, you should note that I recently made a public announcement in one of the local newspapers that since I am involved in the project of forming a new party, I no longer consider myself a member of the BDP,' he said.

The unfazed Pilane added that since he is no longer a BDP member he would not consider himself fired from the party in any way.

'If Morwaeng has received a letter firing him from the party, I don't think he could be worried in any way because he is in the project of forming a new party as well,' he said. Morwaeng was not available for comment on Thursday evening.

The Barata-Phathi faction has been engaged in a tussle with the BDP since they announced late last month that they were in the process of forming a new party unless the party leadership attended to a catalogue of demands.

Former president, Ketumile Masire, recently proposed a peace-making initiative, which has since been in effect rejected by the BDP central committee though there has been no public announcement, Mmegi is informed. The Barata-Phathi's executive, which was mandated to register a new party by the Mogoditshane gathering, announced yesterday that they are in the final steps of drafting a constitution for the new party.