BNF man faces stabbing charge

OLIVER MODISE
Staff Writer | Thursday July 24, 2008 00:00

Jwaneng Station Commander, Superintendent Kebafetlhetse Mothubane, confirmed that a suspect had been charged for allegedly using a knife in the shoulder.

Fana Kgosidintse, a member of the BNF residing in Lobatse, was stabbed with a knife on the forearm while trying to force his way into the entrance during the party's annual conference held over the weekend at Debswana Hall in Jwaneng.

'We have completed our investigations and have charged a 33-year-old man with unlawful wounding,' revealed Mothubane.

Mothubane said the suspect was a resident of Jwaneng and he will appear before the magistrate court to answer the charge.

After stabbing Kgosidintse, the suspect ducked for cover after an angry mob gathering outside the conference hall threatened to beat him up.

Before the conference, there were fears that it was likely to be marred by violent factional clashes between loyalists of party president, Otsweletse Moupo, and the concerned group made up largely of Kathleen Letshabo supporters.

The knifing incident prompted party senior officials to call the police amid fears that the knifing incident could push the anti Moupo group to violently hijack the Conference.

A BNF official, not wanting to be named, said that the knifing incident was a clear example that Moupo's faction was armed to the teeth following a tip-off that some frustrated party activists wanted to disrupt the conference.

The party's factions were split over whether the past weekend's meeting was supposed to be, according to the organisation's constitution, a 'conference' or 'congress'.

Those loyal to Moupo insisted that it was a conference while sympathisers of the Letshabo faction demanded a congress.