BMD MPs, Cllrs to map way forward next week
Chakalisa Dube | Wednesday September 13, 2017 16:43
At the meeting billed for Wingate Lodge the MPs and councillors are also expected to advise the party leadership on the way forward. It is widely known that at the moment two teams, one headed by Advocate Sidney Pilane and the other by Gaolathe are battling to gain control of the party, a development that has resulted in severe infighting.
Yesterday, various insiders revealed that the September 23 gathering would also be used to rubber-stamp the idea to form a new party. For nearly two months now, there has been heightened speculation that the members of Gaolathe’s faction want to form a new party. The National Executive Committee (NEC) in Gaolathe’s faction will also reportedly coordinate the meeting.
Yesterday, one prominent figure said having traversed the whole country, members of Gaolathe’s faction are convinced that a new formation is the only option left.
“The most notable agenda of the meeting will be to decide the future of our faction. It is inevitable that the party leaders would endorse the idea by general party members to form a new party. The mood amongst most members is that we (Gaolathe’s faction) should form our own party,” said one prominent councillor belonging to Gaolathe’s faction.
Over the weekend, the BMD was on a countrywide consultative tour where members made repeated amplified calls for a new party that will contest the 2019 general elections independently.
Members said that a new party should be formed regardless of the outcomes of deliberations of the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) in relation to infighting amongst BMD factions. The UDC is engaging both factions to try and find a solution to the BMD crisis. Despite confirmation from multiple sources, Wynter Mmolotsi who is vice president in Gaolathe’s faction denied knowledge of the September 23 meeting.
“Councillors and MPs have been attending our countrywide consultative meetings where they were given the liberty to share their views regarding troubles concerning the party. This is why we will not convene a special meeting for them,” he said.
On the hand other, Mmolotsi said his faction is waiting for the UDC to deliver its verdict on the problems bedevelling the UDC before deciding on the way forward.
“If we do not get a response from the UDC, we will go back to our members to give us a way forward. Our members are worried about the time it has taken for the UDC to deal with problems within the BMD,” Mmolotsi said.
He added that they initially “anticipated that the problems would have been dealt with by August, but that was not possible because the other party asked to appear within the UDC at later date than scheduled”.