Mistrust, intimidation and rigging in BDP race
Chakalisa Dube | Thursday March 23, 2017 18:41
President Ian Khama ordered last week that complaints surrounding the Francistown regional elections should be investigated. A task team to investigate the elections is scheduled to meet party members in the region today.
The task force is led by former Cabinet minister, Gaotlhaetse Matlhabaphiri who will be accompanied by Kgalagadi South Member of Parliament (MP), Frans van der Westhuizen and the party executive secretary Merapelo Moloise
This week, BDP deputy secretary, Shaw Kgathi said the investigation was ordered following complaints by some members regarding the conduct of the elections.
However, Kgathi said the names of those who have complained remain confidential.
It has now turned out that Kgalajwe and Mpuang’s complaint letters influenced Khama’s decision.
In his letter, Kgalajwe argued that in some constituencies, selection of congress delegates was not done in accordance with the laid down party procedures.
“In the Francistown East constituency, the branch committee resolved that ward committee members should select delegates as per party constitution.”
He continued: “However on the day of the elections, the list that was submitted by wards to the branch secretary was changed without any reasonable grounds and replaced with people who were supporters of the area MP (Buti Billy).”
Kgalajwe said 146 people were supposed to vote at the elections, but 149 voted, which showed there were irregularities.
He added that there were no observers at the elections and candidates were prevented from appointing observers as per the party tradition.
“The central committee should appoint a task force to investigate acts of violence and intimidation in the region,” recommended Kgalajwe in his letter.
He also said the newly-elected committee should not be allowed to carry out any duties, including attending the national council, which starts tomorrow .
However, Francistown regional chairperson Baemedi Medupi has indicated that the new committee has not been barred from carrying out its duties.
Kgalajwe’s letter also made a request that the party should restore discipline in the region or risk losing the area to the opposition.
Mpuang raised similar concerns to Kgalajwe’s, and called for a task team to investigate the elections.
“Segona (sic), who conducted the elections did not follow procedure for running the elections. He did not verify that all delegates who voted were BDP members in good standing and that they had valid BDP membership cards and Omang,” said a letter purportedly written by Mpuang, who could not reached to confirm.
Kudzani Tobokwani, who contested the position of secretary general against Douglas Letsholathebe also wrote a similar letter to that of Mpuang and Kgalajwe.
Yesterday, Kgalajwe confirmed that he has protested the election results. “I think the task team has been appointed as a result of my letter,” Kgalajwe said.
Tobokwani also confirmed that he has written a letter to the party disputing the results of the recent elections. Mpuang’s phone was not available at the time of going to press.
Unconfirmed reports have indicated that the meeting maybe postponed to next week because of the party’s National Council that starts tomorrow.
Medupi said he has not received any communication about the possible postponement of the meeting with the task team, but has heard rumours to that effect.
The recent Francistown region conference highlighted the deep rivalry that exists between supporters belonging to vice president Mokgweetsi Masisi and those aligned to Nonofho Molefhi. The majority of those who have won at the regional congress will vote for the party chairmanship at the July congress.
Molefhi’s team, which was led by Medupi, dominated the regional elections. Kgalajwe, who was defeated by Medupe in his bid for the position of chairman, belongs to Masisi’s camp and so is Mpuang. Mpuang recently ended his term as the party’s Francistown region secretary.
In the wake of Kgalajwe and Mpuang’s letters, Molefhi’s supporters have said that complaints against them are without basis.
They believe the complaints are being entertained to engineer new elections because Masisi’s team, which was initially tipped to win the elections, ended on the losing side.