BDP Ngami top dogs in movie-style fracas
Boniface Keakabetse | Thursday April 27, 2017 15:01
The incident appears to be a continuation of long-running tensions allegedly between supporters of Thato Kwerepe and Jacob Nkate. Kwerepe and Nkate are believed to have had a fall-out after an acrimonious primary election battle in 2009, which Nkate won, but subsequently lost to a Botswana Congress Party candidate in the general election.
In an apparent mirroring of that conflict, the BDP Ngami regional chairperson, Kabo Kurusa and his regional secretary, Shadrack Sianga recently became locked in a matter before the police over claims and counter-claims of violence and threats. The two officials are believed to belong to rival camps in the Kwerepe/Nkate divide.
Sianga reported Kurusa to police claiming his fellow democrat threatened that he would kill him by running him over with a car.
Sehithwa Police assistant superintendent, Moutlwatsi Ikobeng said while they had received a report of a threat-to-kill from Sianga, the BDP regional secretary told police he had reconciled with Kurusa, before reversing his position again.
“He later came back again saying that he was proceeding with the matter. However, no case has been registered. We reached Kurusa through his cellphone, but he explained that he was travelling to Gaborone,” Ikobeng said.
Contacted for comment, Sianga said the dispute arose after he complained during a BDP meeting that “people are campaigning for Nkate”. “Some time later, while I was walking from the meeting, Kurusa tried to run me over with his car,” Sianga said, adding that he had wanted to run for the 2019 Parliamentary seat, but had withdrawn to support Kwerepe.
For his part, Kurusa denied attempting to run over Sianga. He said instead Sianga had threatened to stab him. “I found him along the way and I asked him about the whereabouts of my clothes that he borrowed a long ago. To my surprise he started insulting me and later produced a knife threatening to stab me.
“I drove off and never threatened to run him over with my car as he alleges. He is bitter because I took him to task over his performance as a secretary.” Kwerepe was not available for comment when approached. Nkate denied knowledge of bad blood between the two.