BPP contemplates suspending Gudu, Kuchwe
Chakalisa Dube | Friday November 24, 2017 17:45
Mmegi has now unearthed information indicating that the BPP is reportedly planning to suspend Richard Gudu and Peter Kuchwe pending a disciplinary hearing.
The party central committee will meet tomorrow (Saturday) here and the only agenda item is reportedly to effect the suspension of the party chairperson Gudu as well as additional member Kuchwe.
Recently, the BPP suspended Thabani Peter and treasurer Tongomani Dan to pave way for a probe into alleged financial irregularities (implicating them).
The BPP leadership has often accused Kuchwe and Gudu of rebelling against key decisions of the party. The duo will reportedly be suspended in relation to their decision to attend a meeting and press conference convened by the new Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) on November 9. The new UDC features the Botswana Congress Party (BCP).
During the press conference Gudu and Kuchwe said that they are among four people chosen to represent the BPP in the UDC central committee. Gudu said that their positions as some of the four representatives of the BPP in the UDC were rubberstamped by the party (BPP). He added that they were permitted to attend the UDC meeting by the BPP.
The BPP immediately released a statement dismissing Gudu’s position. The party further indicated that action would be taken against the duo. Early this week the BPP youth league also released a statement stating that action will be taken against Gudu and Kuchwe.
“It is true that me and Gudu have been summoned to a meeting (tomorrow) with a sole agenda to address our recent appearance at a UDC meeting and press conference but I am not privy to more details.”
“Party leaders sanctioned us to attend the meeting but now they are turning against us. I have prove and I will present it at the meeting if I am afforded an opportunity to do so,” Kuchwe said yesterday.
Gudu did not answer his phone despite repeated efforts.
BPP vice president Mbaakanyi Lenyatso confirmed that the party will hold a central committee meeting tomorrow but would not disclose the agenda. He however, emphasised that Gudu and Kuchwe were not delegated to attend recent UDC activities in Gaborone.
The BPP has often been reluctant to attend UDC meetings featuring the BCP citing that the party was not procedurally welcomed into the coalition.
Those who maintained a contrary position have often accused BPP president Motlatsi Molapise and his ‘cronies’ of discrediting the UDC in order to influence some party members to back a move (by the BPP) to join the Alliance for Progressives (AP). Molapise and some party members have made their admiration for the AP no secret.
The party has also been boycotting UDC meetings because it believes that its concerns in relation to constituency allocation for the 2019 general election have not been resolved.
Kuchwe and Gudu are some of those who have often publicly maintained a contrary position to that of Molapise and some central committee members with reference to the position of the BPP in the UDC. They believe that the BPP cannot thrive outside UDC.
However, following the late October meeting the BPP appeared to have softened its position in the UDC. At the time the party said it would start attending UDC meeting starting with the recent one, which was attended by Gudu and Kuchwe.
Molapise later said that he would not attend the meeting because UDC president Duma Boko has told Molapise that he will not be available. Boko later maintained the contrary.
This week Lenyatso maintained that Molapise and three other BPP representatives did not attend the UDC meeting because it was said that Boko would not be available.
He added, “We will soon submit the names of the people who will be attending the meeting. We could have made our submissions at the November 9 meeting with Boko”.
“We will address our concerns from within the new UDC. We were hoping that the old UDC will meet on 9th November to address our concerns and then submit the four names to the new UDC. Unfortunately that did not happen and we had to consider other options.”