Ousted deputy mayor Masalila knew his days were numbered

RYDER GABATHUSE
Staff Writer | Friday November 26, 2010 00:00

There was drama at the FCC meeting as a coalition of Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD) and Botswana Congress Party (BCP) civic leaders clashed with ruling party councillors for the control of the council.

This was a political fight that was long expected to play itself out, but seemingly, both camps were unsure whether to make a move or not.

First, it was the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), which recently made their intentions known that with 10 councillors in the FCC they were uncomfortable with BMD, which has five councillors to be in control of the council despite the fact that it was in the minority. BCP has seven councillors.

Through Satellite North councillor James Kgalajwe, the BDP confirmed that it was courting the BCP to help them oust Mayor Shadreck Nyeku, but without success. The BCP's reaction to the BDP proposal was that as opposition alliance partners they could never collude with the ruling party to oust another opposition party.

In the words of Central Ward councillor Ephraim Maiketso, the BCP has been advised to forge any form of cooperation with the BMD and not BDP.

So last Tuesday political parties represented in the FCC unleashed their political strength in a bid to seize full control of the council.

By the way, an urgent motion tabled by Itekeng Ward councillor Professor Tlou was a result of many months of negotiations between BCP and BMD. The BDP knew about the motion a long time ago.

When the two opposition parties cooperated in the recent Tonota North parliamentary by-election won by BDP's Fidelis Molao, it was clear that the new born relationship was bound to spread to the FCC.

Even the deposed deputy mayor, Stanley Masalila knew very well that his days were numbered.

The moment he chose to remain in the BDP when Mayor Nyeku and four others defected to the BMD, he knew that his position was no longer guaranteed.

Initially, Masalila, who was a member of the Barata-Phathi faction of the BDP, which has since become the BMD, was listed among those who were on their way out of the BDP. He would later change heart and remain in the BDP.

There was also talk that some of the councillors who had defected to the BMD were likely to return to their former party but that is yet to happen.

Perhaps, Masalila was one of those who doubted the viability of the BMD and preferred to remain in the BDP whilst watching things unfold in the political platform. Will he now move out of the BDP?

That is not Masalila's priority for now as he emphasised in a recent interview, 'I am comfortable at the BDP and I do not have any reason to join the BMD.'

At the Tuesday meeting, there was every reason why Kgalajwe and his BDP colleague and Satellite South cuncillor Buti Billy, could not hide their disappointment.

Their plan, as Kgalajwe would later reveal, was to confuse Mayor Nyeku, who is allegedly not so conversant with procedures as in the council Standing Orders and frustrate the rest of the opposition councilors, so that they do not support their motion of no confidence in the deputy mayor.

This is exactly what the duo did, showing no respect for the mayor, by simply speaking without his blessings and incessantly ignoring the mayor's call for order in the House.

Their strategy included buying time and confusing opposition councillors who were seemingly unaware of their rights in so far as the procedure of lodging a motion of no confidence was concerned.

Kgalajwe explaned that since 'we did not have numbers to match the combined opposition, we had to play delaying tactics than to simply give in the fight without punishing them hard.' Nyeku, who was certainly frustrated after endless and unsuccessful interjections calling Kgalajwe and Billy to order, got relief when Kgalajwe walked out of the council chamber in frustration.

His frustration was precipitated by the fact that 'Nyeku was now bending rules and accommodating the interest of the opposition by acceding that there be a vote that changed everything.'

Kgalajwe would later explain in an interview that he made noise because he wanted to show the mayor that he was merely influenced by his interest in the matter and ignored procedure.

'The issue was not all about protecting Masalila and his deputy mayoral chain, it was an issue that also affected the interests of the BDP. We were frustrated that the mayor was bending council procedure with impunity,' he told Mmegi in an interview this week.

He concedes, ' I was frustrated that the mayor was bending procedure of the council. He was influenced by the opposition caucus meeting they had the previous day and ordered a vote.'

Kgalajwe and BDP civic leaders walked out of the council, 'because we did not want to be part of the illegal process which was not covered by any instrument.'

For his part, Nyeku says the BDP councillors did not want to see the motion going through; hence they preferred to cause confusion.

'I tried everything in the book to control the meeting, but unfortunately, I could not do enough,' he declared. But, he acknowledges that even the BDP group concedes that they saw the motion coming.

'It was unfortunate for the BDP councillors because their options were limited as by the way, the law is straight forward even on issues of this nature. In fact, the BDP was getting a dose of its own medicine,' he explained.

University of Botswana (UB) social work lecturer, Log Raditlhokwa, who is also a political commentator, says for the opposition coalition to have unseated the ruling party councillor from the deputy mayorship, it could mean, 'the chemistry of opposition is good for them to have teamed up against the ruling BDP.'

In his view, it could also mean that BCP and BMD councillors are taking the project seriously.

'They feel free to work together to make it a reality. It can motivate them to take the cooperation to other parts of the country,' he pointed out and added that different areas have different settings.