Masimolole accused of sidelining opposition

EPHRAIM KEORENG
Staff Writer | Thursday January 14, 2010 00:00

 

The three councillors, who are from the Botswana Congress Party (BCP), have complained that Masimolole deliberately left them out of a meeting held to introduce councilors before the village leadership. They say they got wind of the meeting after it ended and were shocked to learn that only the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) councillors had attended.

'We wondered why he left us out. I mean even though we are opposition councillors it is a fact that we have to work together to help develop the village. We intend to meet him to address this issue,' said Johnson Rowland, Mogoditshane Central North councilor.

Mogodisthane North civic leader Banks Ndebele added that they approached the village tribal leadership to introduce themselves, 'so that they also know us as we will be working with them in the next five years. What the MP did in sidelining us from the meeting is unfair and should not happen again,' he said.

Michael Mathame, also a BCP councillor said it was unfortunate that at a time when they should be working together in planning development projects for the village, they had to deal with petty issues, 'like these where some people are not introduced before the stakeholders. But we have resolved to approach the MP and smooth out the issue,' he said.

When contacted for comment, the Chief's representative Keabetswe Dihutso said that when he asked why the opposition councillors were not in the meeting, the MP replied that he was busy on his way to parliament and could not reach them on their mobile phones to invite them (to the meeting).

The MP has however refuted Dihutso's assertion. He said prior to the meeting he called a certain opposition councillor on his mobile phone, which was not answered.

'I wanted to ask him to invite his (party) colleagues to the kgotla meeting. Anyone who is saying I was in a hurry to parliament is lying. I told the kgotla that I tried to contact them and failed. I have to work with all the councillors in serving our community in Mogoditshane, so there is no way I would want to leave others just because they are not BDP. You should also note that the meeting was not even a BDP function,' he said.

The councillors had also complained that the kgotlas in their wards have not been included in the MPs' schedule of kgotla meetings, signaling that the MP was not interested in addressing their electorate. They say this underscores the fact that the MP is out to sideline them and in the process punish the voters for voting for opposition councillors.

Masimolole has however dismissed the accusation as cheap politicking by the councillors. He explained that due to logistical constraints they have in some places, had to address people from say two to three kgotlas at once.

'Some are even next to each other hence we decided that I would just address the people from both areas at once. It has been the practice before. Besides you would realise that Goo-Moloi, a kgotla inside a BCP-held ward has also been included, so I don't know what they are fussing about. The only big kgotla that has been left out is the one in Ledumadumane, Kgwanyape kgotla because I need to meet with the councillor (Ndebele) and agree on a right date to come and address people there. That area is largely made of people who are working and you need to find the right time when they would be available to address them,' he said.

Masimolole has also said that he expects all the councillors to attend the main kgotla meeting, which he will be addressing next week Monday. The MP's kgotla meetings, which are largely meant for the legislator to touch base with his constituents to share ideas on developments concerning the village, are expected to continue until February 1st, 2010.