BDP starts suspensions

RYDER GABATHUSE
Staff Writer | Tuesday March 9, 2010 00:00

 

It is said that the BDP Central committee recommended at its meeting yesterday that legislator Botsalo Ntuane, attorney Sidney Pilane and businessman Kabo Morwaeng should be officially charged. A BDP member can only be suspended or reprimanded after charges have been laid against him.

The charging of the three is likely to pave way for their suspension. However, it remains unclear who is going to initiate the disciplinary process and what charges have been preferred against the trio. But as soon as charges have been laid against them, they will be slapped with suspension letters pending disciplinary hearings. 'It is only a matter of time before the charges are laid against the trio,' a source said. The party has even identified the 'initiator' who shall soon be laying disciplinary charges against Pilane, Ntuane and Morwaeng. The three have been on the gun-sights of the party top brass after a secret report presented by President Ian Khama last month to the central committee. The report 'implicated' the trio in what is viewed as an impropriety. Mainly, their crime is alleged to be 'conniving' with opposition parties to gain support for former BDP secretary general, Gomolemo Motswaledi to become a specially elected MP. Motswaledi was ousted as party secretary general and barred from contesting general elections after a direct confrontation with Khama.

It is reported that at the last meeting with some party stalwarts sent by Khama, Ntuane, Pilane and Morwaeng demanded access to the person purported to have accused them of wrongdoing. Khama had summoned the trio to a meeting with party chairman, Daniel Kwelagobe, secretary general Thato Kwerepe, treasurer, Satar Dada and central committee member, John Wellio. The 'rebels' said they will not offer any apology since they have not committed any offence.

Yesterday, Ntuane said he was in the dark about the central committee decision. 'As I speak to you, I am in the dark as to whether any action has been taken against anyone of us or not. I am just from Parliament and I know nothing,' he said. Efforts to reach Pilane and Morwaeng were fruitless, as the duo did not take calls.

Another youthful activist and Barata-phathi activist, Ndaba Gaolathe was recently slapped with a suspension letter from the party pending a disciplinary hearing. His main undoing is reportedly his critical writings in the local press condemning the party decisions on many issues including Motswaledi's banishment from the party.

Gaolathe has also slammed the BDP for taking Pilane, Ntuane and Morwaeng to task merely on allegations that they had connived with the opposition, something that did not go down well with the party leadership that is dominated by members of the A-Team. All efforts to reach Ndaba were fruitless at press time as his mobile phone was off.

Another member of the Barata-phathi and Francistown regional secretary, Sam Masunga, was yesterday slapped with a reprimand letter. His main offence is that he recently wrote a letter to the BDP secretary general, Kwerepe complaining about how Vice President, Mompati Merafhe had failed to resolve differences in the region. Other BDP members signed the letter including some Barata-phathi councillors. However, Masunga is accused of authoring the letter without the blessing of other members of the Francistown regional committee

The letter from Francistown accused Merafhe of fuelling political fires in the region by showing his bias to the A-Team members and harshness to Barata-phathi.

Masunga refused to talk much about his fate only saying that: 'I am not at liberty to comment on this issue because I deem it to be an internal party matter'.

BDP executive secretary, Dr Comma Serema would not deny or confirm the disciplinary actions in the party. 'All the decisions that were taken by the central committee yesterday will be communicated to the affected persons first and we can't do that through the media,' he said.