Dabutha vows to snub BCP hearing
Chakalisa Dube | Thursday October 5, 2017 19:04
Yesterday BCP deputy secretary general, Akanyang Magama told Mmegi that Dabutha had been furnished with charges in relation to her decision to contest the by-election against the will of the party.
“We delivered the charges to her early this week,” Magama said yesterday. Magama, who did not want to dwell much on the charges levelled against Dabutha, maintained that she was still a member of the BCP.
He added that the date for the hearing would be set once Dabutha responds to the charges against her.
Last week, the BCP slapped Dabutha with a suspension from the party pending a disciplinary hearing for “illegally” using its lime colour and contesting the by-election independently while she is still its member.
The BCP is backing their Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) partners, the Botswana National Front (BNF) at the by-election. Yesterday, Dabutha told Mmegi she was unfazed by the latest developments.
“I have resigned from the BCP so I will definitely not attend the hearing or respond to the charges you are talking about.
One of their party officials confirmed in a radio interview that I am no longer a member of the party.
“I wonder why they would call me for a hearing or level charges against me (if at all that is true) because I am not their member,” said the 51-year old Dabutha who did not want to discuss her resignation much when pressed further.
Dabutha added: “Contrary to what the BCP is saying, to the best of my knowledge no charges have been delivered to me by the party.”
In terms of the Memorandum of Agreement between the UDC and BCP, the party with the highest number of votes in the 2014 general elections, has the right to nominate a candidate in the event of a parliamentary or council by-election.
At the 2014 general elections in Tshimoyapula, the UDC was represented by a BNF candidate Modala Modala, while the BCP, which was not yet a UDC afiiliate, did not field a candidate. The party has once again fielded Modala while the ruling party has opted for Katholo Tapologo. The by-election takes place this weekend.