BMD accuses Mamela�s BCP team of illegal campaigns
Chakalisa Dube | Wednesday April 5, 2017 16:26
Vain Mamela, who is said to be positioning himself for the Parliamentary elections in 2019 is said to be leading the 2014 council elections candidates in their alleged secret launches.
The former legislator and the council candidates have in recent weeks held rallies in various parts of Francistown West.
The Botswana Movement Democracy (BMD)’s Francistown regional chairperson, Jonathan Thembo, this week expressed his disappointment about Mamela’s conduct in social media.
He and other BMD activists said that Mamela is using the rallies to launch himself and other candidates.
“Maybe the Francistown West constituency does not form part of the UDC. They should tell me so that I start campaigning for my own party,” he scoffed.
The BCP recently joined the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) where it will work with the BMD, Botswana National Front (BNF) and the Botswana People’s Party (BPP).
Yesterday, Thembo said that the conduct of their counterparts in the BCP is very worrying.
“The BCP has already been cleared to contest the Parliamentary elections, but council wards have not been allocated as yet.
When we see such conducts, we can only assume that those who lost council elections in 2014 have started campaigning.”
Thembo said that during the rallies the 2014 general elections council candidates sent veiled messages insinuating that they will contest the 2019 general elections although wards have not been allocated.
“We were also expecting that rallies can only be organised after all contracting parties in Francistown have met and discussed how they will work with each other since the BCP recently joined the UDC,” he explained.
Thembo noted that if at all the BCP members were acting in good faith, they could have invited them for the rallies.
“We were not formally invited to the rallies. The BCP members allowed us to speak at some of their rallies because we were present,” he said.
Thembo said that what is worrying is that some of those who contested the elections in 2014 openly declared their candidacy during the rallies.
Yesterday, Mamela told Mmegi that he is aware of the accusations from the BMD members. “I do not know why they are worried because what we are doing is merely to revive the party structures because they have been dormant for sometime.
If we were campaigning, we would not be allowing them to speak at our rallies,” he said.
One of the BCP council candidates at the 2014 general elections, Barulaganye Mooketsi told Mmegi that it is not true that rallies in Francistown West are being used to covertly launch some candidates for the 2019 polls. “The rallies are just normal party activities.
I am also worried that our BMD colleagues have decided to raise their complaints in the social media. They could have approached us to deal with the matter internally,” said the former Botsalano ward council candidate.
BCP Francistown region chairperson, Lazarus Tlou reacted thus: “There is no official complaint from the BMD.
Personally, I feel that it is not ideal to host rallies while the consultation process for allocation of ward is ongoing.
However, there is nothing that stops our members from holding rallies. My hope is that they will not offend their colleagues during the rallies,” he said.