A rejuvenated Moatlhodi vows to 'prove his mettle'

"Now I know that my main challenge is to prove to the party leadership and everybody else what I am capable of. It is my plan to ensure that the opposition is not given the slightest chance at all."

As expected of the man, whose penchant for criticism of his own party earned him the tag of 'maverick', Moatlhodi sounded emboldened by the pardon after being dropped from the running for saying his party was militarising the civil service.
And although the BDP top brass will not admit it, the dropping of the 'maverick' aroused a groundswell of support and sympathy for him and expressions of denunciation of what is seen as growing intolerance in within ruling party.