BDP urges embattled Modenga to step down
Chakalisa Dube | Thursday February 16, 2017 16:32
BDP secretary general Botsalo Ntuane said this yesterday in response to a Mmegi questionnaire.
Modenga has courted controversy in recent months. Last week he was summoned to court on allegations that he swindled Karabo Nkwai of funds amounting to P45,000. Modenga is said to have obtained the money from Nkwai allegedly under the pretext that he would use his position as deputy Mayor to assist the former to be allocated two plots.
“The truth is that this negative publicity is not doing the party or his colleagues any good. Under these circumstances one would resign to sort out their personal problems away from public glare,” Ntuane said.
He added: “If he opts not to resign on his own volition then the BDP caucus must decide what to do when elections for mayor and deputy Mayor come up in July. We all have problems but this situation has gone on for far too long”.
Mmegi has learnt that opposition councillors are lobbying their ruling BDP counterparts to back an upcoming bid to oust Modenga.
UDC councillor Gaone Majere is orchestrating the bid to oust Modenga at next week’s ordinary full council meeting. Majere has confirmed that he intends to table an urgent motion calling for the deputy mayor to step down.
“We believe that Modenga should vacate office to clear his name. He is facing very serious allegations. It will be embarrassing for the deputy mayor to continue in his position while he is facing such serious allegations,” Majere told Mmegi yesterday.
Majere confirmed that he and other opposition councillors were in “constant touch” with some of their BDP colleagues in a bid to gain support for the plan to oust Modenga. “The BDP councillors are the majority but as the opposition we believe that common sense will prevail and Modenga will be voted out in the interest of the residents of the city,” he said.
The Francistown City Council has six opposition councillors and 18 from the BDP. In order to oust Modenga, at least 18 councillors have to vote against him.
Despite their denials, Mmegi has established that some of the BDP councillors who have been approached about the ouster bid include Lesego Kwambala, Cornelius Gopolang and Gaethusi Ramolotsana.
The BDP is due to caucus for next week’s full council meeting but it is still unclear if Modenga’s issue will form part of the agenda.
Late last year the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) launched an investigation into Modenga after suspicions that he was selling land and in some cases, failing to deliver on his promise. Modenga has also appeared in court for several civil cases.
In a leaked audiotape last July, the Vice President and BDP chairman, Mokgweetsi Masisi said BDP councillors should meet and decide Modenga’s fate on account of the criminal and corruption allegations against him. The councillors later decided against ditching Modenga.
Modenga has also been chided for his continuous absence from council proceedings, although some councillors have leapt to his defence saying he is ill. Mmegi was unable to reach Modenga, as the deputy mayor’s phones have been unavailable for sometime.