BDP executives heed youth SOS

EPHRAIM KEORENG
Staff Writer | Tuesday June 22, 2010 00:00

The programme featured party leaders, President Ian Khama, Serema, BDP chairman, Daniel Kwelagobe, and two former youth chairmen, Kefentse Mzwinila and Lesang Magang.

However, the youth were conspicuously absent on the list of speakers.

Serema said the youth were not featured on the programme because the National Youth Executive Committee (NYEC) had resigned en masse and 'had not even handed over their files to the party.

Therefore there was no one to present the youth chairman, secretary general and treasurer's reports. 

'Normally, we would have had the president giving an official opening speech and thereafter have a fully-fledged youth congress run by the youth,' he said.

The party official said that the head office worked in tandem with BDP youth in organising the congress.

An organising committee led by BDP youth activist, Philip Molobe, 'had a lot of students from Limkokwing University, Botswana College of Agriculture and other youth,' said Serema.

Meanwhile, Serema revealed that the party spent close to a million Pula to organise the congress. Initially, they had expected 400 delegates, but by Friday evening the number swelled to 600 said Serema.

They then had to increase the number of beds by 200 to accommodate the youth at the University of Botswana where the BDP had booked accommodation.

'Almost all constituencies were there. The youth had come in big numbers to show that claims that the BDP youth have resigned en masse to the Botswana Movement for Democracy were untrue.

It was a successful congress,' he said.