BDP wars in Francistown rage on

RYDER GABATHUSE
Staff Writer | Friday January 15, 2010 00:00

It has recently emerged that what the BDP central committee had recommended to be investigated following some purportedly worrying developments in Francistown, was later discovered to be in fact a self-serving move. Those accused as troublemakers dismiss the reports and indicate that their accusers are simply besmirching them in a factional and political point scoring game.

In its December sitting, the BDP central committee had recommended that Merafhe should investigate troubles dogging the volatile Francistown region.

The need to investigate the region was apparently precipitated by reports raised by some central committee members closer to the Francistown region and known to this publication. The mover of the motion and those who seconded the motion are people mainly linked to the A-Team.

Mmegi has learnt that the central committee was propelled to action by reports that there were some members of the Francistown regional committee who had allegedly sabotaged others especially non-members of the Barata-Phathi axis during the Francistown mayoral elections. The central committee was reportedly incensed by the 'sabotage' reports especially that the move was associated with factional behaviour that the party continues to fight so hard to eliminate.

Shadrack Nyeku later won the mayoral elections with Stanley Masalila as his deputy. Both councilors are associated with the Barata-Phathi. As a tradition in areas controlled by the BDP, the mayoral elections were held in a caucus at the BDP office.

But five BDP councillors associated with the A-Team chose to defy the party caucus arrangement so that they could battle openly with the Nyeku-led Barata-Phathi councillors. Former mayor Buti Billy wanted the chain back 'to continue where he had left' whilst James Kgalajwe tried his luck for the post of deputy mayor without much success.

Councillors Johnson Moremi, Masego Pule and Ford Moiteela rallied behind the A-Team councillors. Now, when the news reached the BDP headquarters that five councillors had defied the party caucus, it emerged that their excuse was that they (five councillors) were not formally invited to the caucus meeting.

The man who was in charge of inviting civic leaders to the caucus meeting was former councillor and regional secretary, Sam Masunga.

Masunga himself preferred to remain tight-lipped, insisting that the matter was an in-house affair. ' It's unfortunate that the information you are demanding from me is strictly for the party and not for the public,' was his answer. Masunga is a known Barata-Phathi activist.

From the Francistown region, Mmegi was however, able to lift information suggesting that all the councillors were invited to the disputed caucus meeting and there are copies of letters showing that invitations were delivered. As the story of 'non-invitations' to the caucus meeting seemingly falls by the wayside, it seems the Barata-Phathi controlled Francistown region is now pushing to see the five 'dissident' A-Team members possibly disciplined for defying the caucus.

Whenever there is proof that councillors had defied the BDP caucus meetings, especially for the mayoral or council chairperson elections, the party takes prompt remedial action. The Selebi-Phikwe case in which the town mayor, Lekang Mukokomani has voted for an opposition councillor to the position of a deputy mayor against the party arrangement is a case in point. Mukokomani has since been suspended from the party for failing to vote for his party colleague when there was a tie.