Segokgo faces eight charges
Chakalisa Dube | Tuesday June 6, 2017 18:00
The hearing will take place at the party headquarters in Gaborone.
Segokgo is amongst the seven suspended BMD members, including president Ndaba Gaolathe and vice president Wynter Mmolotsi.
The suspended members belong to a group, called the Ndaba/Mmolotsi faction. BMD chairperson, Nehemiah Modubule and secretary general, Gilbert Mangole lead the other faction, which according to pundits spearheaded the suspensions of Ndaba’s team.
Modubule authored the letter summoning Segokgo for a hearing.
For over two years, both factions have been battling for the soul of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) splinter party.
The suspended members are accused of defying the party’s national working committee (NWC) decision, which directed them not to attend the BMD Youth League congress, which was held in Ramotswa in April. In fact, most of the eight charges border on the activities of the Ramotswa congress.
In the first main charge, Segokgo is accused of committing a conduct unbecoming of a leader and public representative as per the constitution of the BMD.
“On or about the 29th of April 27, the accused person attended a gathering which purported to be a national congress of the Youth League in Ramotswa where inter alia, a National Executive Committee was purportedly elected, knowing that the holding of such a gathering of the National Executive of the youth league committee of the BMD, which had been approved by the national working committee of the movement,” reads particulars of the first charge.
Sekgokgo is also charged with sowing divisions in the party as well as committing conducts, which brought the image of the BMD into disrepute.
Among the eight charges, Segokgo has been accused of undermining the party’s NWC.
The former youth league president has also been slapped with an offence of engaging in factional activities undermining the unity of the party. Modubule has confirmed the Sunday hearing.
Recently Mmolotsi disassociated himself from talk that he and other suspended members have been summoned for a hearing because he said the party does not have a disciplinary committee (DC) and an appeals committee. However Modubule insisted that the party has a DC.
“I cannot disclose everything to the media,” he said when asked when the DC was established.
Mmolotsi also insisted that charges against them were unconstitutional. He said for them to be charged, there has to be someone who should have complained to the party against them, which was not the case with the Ndaba team.
When asked if there was a formal complaint against the suspended members, Modubule said those who share Mmolotsi’s vision do not understand the constitution of the party.
The BMD chairperson also said that the suspended members would appear for their respective hearings at varying dates.
Efforts to get a comment from Segokgo did not bear any fruits. His phone rang unanswered yesterday, as the South East District Council was holding a full council meeting.
It remains to be seen if Segokgo will attend the hearing because Ndaba’s faction has defied the suspensions and labelled them unconstitutional.