BNF in cash crisis?

EPHRAIM KEORENG
Staff Writer | Thursday February 11, 2010 00:00

 

In an interview with Mmegi Khumaga councillor Thomas Kgethenyane (Boteti sub-district), said that he has been to BNF head office in Gaborone many times to collect membership cards for new members but returned empty-handed.

'There is absolutely nothing at that office. It looks like a house that has been cleared in preparation to keep a corpse. If you were to go there you would even be embarrassed that the office of a big party like BNF looks like that. Membership cards are not available. I wonder where they take the application forms that they receive from the wards and constituencies,' he charged.

The outspoken youthful politician said that they are concerned about the way funds are utilised by the party. He said since the 2007 Molepolole congress, they have never seen any financial reports on the state of the party.

The civic leader complained that the party leadership shared the Kgalagadi Breweries Limited (KBL) funds, which were donated to political parties to prepare for the elections, only amongst their favourite sons. The BNF was given about P500,000 of the P2 million that the brewery gave to political parties.

'They said they were doling out the money to winnable constituencies. They gave them to committee members who were standing for the elections. People like party spokesperson Moeti vv and secretary general Mohammed Khan were said to be probable winners in their respective areas, but as everyone knows, they lost. We are tired of this unfair treatment,' he said.

Kgethenyane said together with some councillors they have resolved not to pay the P200 subscription fee to the party.

Some councillors, including his Orapa counterpart Chilume Balopi, he said, have opened an account, which they want to use to mobilise supporters to replace BNF president Otsweletsi Moupo and his committee at the next congress.

'Because it is an urgent matter, we have decided to contribute P500 each. People are tired of the way Moupo has been doing things in the party, hence we are mobilising members to vote him out at the July congress,' he said.

When contacted yesterday, Mohwasa said he was not aware some councillors were deliberately withholding monthly contributions. He said there are measures in place that can be used to deal with defaulters.

'It's not even true that the BNF office is struggling. The fact is that there is a lull in activities at the office, which always happens after a general election. It does not mean that the office is not operational. We have a functioning office staffed with officers,' he said.

Mohwasa said the KBL funds were disbursed to constituency committees so that they could help in rolling out the funds in the campaigns for the October 16 general election.

'There is no truth in the allegations that some people in the central committee were the only beneficiaries,' he said.