Pilane Faction Unwelcome In Ngamiland
Boniface Keakabetse | Monday July 31, 2017 17:01
Phoi made the threats at a meeting addressed by former Speaker of the National Assembly, Margaret Nasha on Saturday on the movement’s state of affairs.
Nasha explained that she was sent by the deposed BMD president, Ndaba Gaolathe’s faction. She met with the North West region as part of Gaolathe’s camp on a nationwide consultation with the BMD membership over the weekend.
Nasha accused Pilane’s faction of having violated the BMD constitution during the Bobonong congress, which saw Pilane voted in as party president, unopposed. She explained that following the Bobonong congress, Gaolathe’s faction identified two options; to go to court, or to call for UDC to intervene and demand BMD to convene a fresh congress.
She explained that they realised a court case may drag for a long period and settled for the UDC intervention option instead. She further explained that they sought to consult with the BMD membership on the way forward.
Nasha said factions are commonplace for political parties in Botswana. “Even BDP has serious factional problems at moment (that are) brewing under”.
She implored the BMD membership not to allow itself to be addressed by Pilane’s faction. In response, Phoi threatened that should any member of the Pilane faction attempt to come to Ngamiland, they would pay them back in their own medicine. He said: “If we hear they are coming here, we will wait for them at Makalamabedi or Kuke. We will organise our own dogs and security as they did in Bobonong”.
The BMD membership in the north west region unanimously resolved that they support the option of calling for the UDC to intervene. A BMD member in Maun East, Gababonwe Isaiah said some members want the Gaolathe faction to form a new party, but a majority who commented were against the idea.
An elder, Gaegatwe Sekeletu, said: “We cannot just allow a few people who do not even have support to steal the movement. We have to face them to get our movement (back)”.
Meanwhile, Fredic Kololo who is the National Organising Secretary under the Gaolathe faction, urged BMD members to fight for the movement. He said the current challenges were just a tip of the iceberg, adding that more serious problems were coming.
As 2019 approaches, some of us will die mysteriously deaths. Some will be have food poisoning. BDP has everything to lose. It will not give away power easily.”