The VIPs Were Invited-Nyeku

RYDER GABATHUSE
Staff Writer | Monday May 31, 2010 00:00

 

Nyeku refuted allegations by the Francistown District Commissioner (DC) Richard Oaitse, in the public media, that the people kicked out of the meeting were not invited.

' I want to take this opportunity to apologise to the public of Francistown and in particular senior civil servants, heads of parastatals and private sector executives who were sent out of the meeting, last week Tuesday,' said Nyeku addressing a Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD) press conference at Thapama Hotel.

The mayor questioned the way VIPs were sent out of the meeting as if they were gate-crashing the event although they were invited through their respective offices. Nyeku questioned why the meeting between the Cabinet and the Francistown councillors had to be held in camera. He however, blames the presidency for stirring up confusion, 'as it was the permanent secretary to the President (PSP) who on his and President Ian Khama's arrival wondered why so many people were in the hall besides the Cabinet and local civic leaders.'

Nyeku stressed, 'It was our wish for the people of Francistown to know about issues that we have taken up with the Cabinet,' he said indicating that the meeting was not a Cabinet meeting, as councillors do not attend Cabinet business.

he also expressed shock that the meeting that the FCC had been coordinating was taken over by the 'executive although we were supposed to be the host.' He also distanced his council from some of the decisions made, saying that, 'only if we were allowed to run that meeting then we could have minimised the damage to our stakeholders.'

In his view the meeting held at the civic hall was meant to accommodate more people as ordinarily, the meeting would have been held at the FCC chambers.

Nyeku also indicated that as civic leaders, their principals are the voting public whom they hold in high esteem.

'There is just no way in which we could invite people and send them away at the same time. We do not know the agenda of those who chased those people out.'