Pilane calls weekend meeting to 'stop Ndaba'
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Thursday July 27, 2017 16:12
The top item on Saturday is expected to be how Pilane and his allies will proceed with stopping the Ndaba Gaolathe faction from claiming to be the rightful BMD leaders.
The party is divided into two factions, one led by Pilane and the other by Gaolathe who both lay claim to the presidency.
In Bobonong at its congress, Pilane’s camp took a resolution that the NEC should take “the necessary action, legal or otherwise against any person, group or body who may claim to have held a congress or claim to have been elected into any position in that congress which congress is purported to have been held as the BMD congress”.
Gaolathe was retained as president at the rival congress in Bobonong.
“It is true our NEC is meeting on Saturday and we will look into a number of issues,” Pilane’s secretary general, Gilbert Mangole said.
“Our committee is going to cooperate with the upcoming UDC NEC and we will attend any meeting that they require us to.
We shall respect the outcome or decision that it will take because we all want to see a united BMD.” He said their committee will also come up with ways in which the issues of parallel BMD committees could be addressed.
Mangole said the committee will come up with many options in case other parties did not want to abide by decisions taken by the upcoming UDC NEC. Meanwhile, Gaolathe’s team is pushing for a new congress and mandate.
“We want a fresh congress supervised by UDC through an independent body,” said Gaolathe’s secretary general, Phenyo Butale.
“We have always been proponents of peace. Only a fresh congress can help to bring peace and stability in our party. Things should be done constitutionally.”
Butale said their team will also abide by decisions taken by the UDC NEC and they will cooperate with it if the matter is heard.
The Gaolathe team has taken a resolution to establish its own party offices.
This week, UDC leader, Duma Boko told the media that the UDC NEC will this week look into the BMD issues as both teams had submitted reports.