Inside Dibeela�s contentious Transitional Team Report
Staff Writer | Friday September 1, 2017 18:00
This is despite the fact that during the launch of the coalition early this year in Tlokweng, the UDC president Duma Boko clarified the issue. Boko stated that there shall be the two vice presidents for the UDC, which are equal. These vice presidents were identified as leaders of the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD), Ndaba Gaolathe at the time and Dumelang Saleshando of the Botswana Congress Party (BCP). This announcement displeased Gaolathe’s sympathisers who wanted him appointed the first vice president while the second vice presidency goes to Saleshando. In the scheme of things, the BMD (of Gaolathe faction) and their sympathisers from the Botswana National Front (BNF) such as Dibeela and Motlatsi Molapise of the Botswana Peoples Party (BPP), the first vice president post is senior to that of the second vice president. In his report, Dibeela stated that the Transitional Team was appointed and given terms of reference but “unfortunately representatives of the BCP declined to participate in the process”. The team focused on the following major areas, based on the existing agreements:
l Develop a Memorandum of Understanding,
l Go through the new draft UDC constitution and clean it up and incorporate agreements emanating from the Governance Report for final adoption,
l Develop guidelines for the appointment of special committees of the UDC and their duties and responsibilities, and
l Facilitate the convening of the first UDC congress The team also submitted a proposed logo for consideration. They also proposed finalisation of all steps necessary for the long-awaited take off of the UDC. They proposed for the signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Agreement, convene as soon as possible, the first UDC congress and for the arrangement of the official launch of the UDC, including subsequent regional launches. Dibeela and his team also want appointment and convening of the new UDC national executive committee and lastly appointment of the structures for approval by the new NEC.
Dibeela’s team included Margaret Nasha, Moses Bantsi, Otladisa Otladisa and Tapiso Kgosikoma.
In an email to the team, Dibeela said as one of the outcomes of the negotiations, it was agreed to establish a team and this team shall comprise all the chairpersons of the negotiation streams. In response, BCP vice president Dr Kesitegile Gobotswang said: “Please be informed that we do not have a mandate from our party to take up such an assignment under the said structure. In our view, our assignments ended with the main negotiation and the negotiation streams. However, we will be available to take assignments from the UDC NEC as and when formally directed”.
The team recommended that the UDC adopts an umbrella as its symbol and that the coalition colours be royal blue and white. At the time of elections ,the coalition shall present one running mate who is currently holding the position of UDC first vice president. The flag of the UDC shall be a royal blue rectangle, with a white umbrella in the middle, placed within an artistic drawn map of Botswana, and the name of the organisation at the bottom in capital letters. The flag shall be one -and-half times longer than it is wide.
About the organisational structure of the UDC, the first vice president will be responsible for organisational management and strategy while the second vice president will be accountable for policy and treasury. The first vice president also acts as president as and when necessary.
The second vice president acts as president in the absence of both the president and the first vice president. In the document, the national chairperson, the position currently held by Molapise, shall chair the NEC meetings. The chairperson shall also carry out additional tasks or functions as may, from time to time, be entrusted to by the NEC.
It is also stated that: “The constitution of the Umbrella for Democratic Change registered by the Registrar of Societies on 23 August 2012 for purposes solely of enabling the UDC to participate in the 2014 general elections and subsequent by elections as a single political party, is hereby repealed.
'For future purposes, the UDC shall within a year following the 2019 general elections commence the consultative process that must lead to it becoming a unitary political party. Upon the foregoing event occurring, this constitution shall be amended accordingly to comply with the legal requirements of establishing such a party.'