BMDYL campaign rekindles factionalism
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Wednesday March 1, 2017 16:28
Already some youth are campaigning using their leadership names. This time around those who are alleged to be president Ndaba Gaolathe/Wynter Mmolotsi supporters are using the slogan #Ithabanele while those alleged to be aligned to Nehemiah Modubule and Gilbert Mangole are using #Teamfocus.
Kagelelo Kentse and Jacob Kelebeng have already declared their interest to contest for BMDYL presidency. Kelebeng is for #Itlhabanele while Kentse is for #Teamfocus. Kentse has however distanced himself from the said faction.
“Let us refrain from using names of our leaders in the campaign. Ndaba Gaolathe is BMD president and he will be after our July congress. Please respect him, his office and his entire NEC,” he said.
Kentse said it is important that their leaders provide guidance to the youth league during this time. He said the current national executive committee must stay above youth league lobbies and strive to ensure that this congress becomes a beacon of unity inside BMD. “President Gaolathe and secretary general Mangole are leaders of the BMD and not of any faction, team or lobby. They should commit by actions to ensure prosperity in the party. Them aligning to some will only worsen the situation in the BMD and will kill any efforts to reunite the BMD,” he said.
“To all our supporters, please refrain from using language and words that are not palatable and comradely. It’s important that we rebuild the BMD for better UDC. Let us ensure a clean, disciplined and mature campaign fit for a party ready to govern,” Kentse said.
However some BMD members said they voted BMDYL committee, which Kentse was part of in 2015, but it failed to defend the party during hard times. They accused the outgoing team led by Phenyo Segokgo for failing to fulfil pledges they made in their manifesto when they were voted in at Mochudi. Kentse was serving in the committee as a policy director. The members are accusing the youth league that during their tenure, some of the members defected to the ruling, Botswana Democratic Party (BDP). Efforts to get a comment from Kelebeng were unsuccessful as he was in a business workshop. But Kelebeng’s supporters were visible on the social media selling his campaign mission.
His supporters paraded him as a community volunteer, civic and political activist and a social entrepreneur.
“Kelebeng is involved in community building initiatives such as students mentoring and leadership training across Botswana. He is also an advisor of the village development committees and trusts in about eight villages across the country,” one of his supporters wrote on Facebook.