The court case emerged in the aftermath of the suspension of Saleshando, who is also the vice president of the UDC. Saleshando was suspended with legislator, Goretetse Kekgonegile, who is also the secretary-general of the BCP. Before the suspensions, the BCP and the UDC were locked in a bitter battle over the principles and values of democracy, good governance and constitutionalism. The BCP insists that the UDC falls short of these principles and values but the latter denies that. Saleshando and Kekgonegile were initially suspended from the UDC for three months. They were later suspended from the UDC indefinitely after they took the UDC to the Maun High Court challenging their suspensions. Saleshando and Kekgonegile are praying with the court to declare that their suspensions are unlawful, wrongful, unreasonable, improper and invalid in so far as they are not members of the UDC. In the aftermath of the suspensions of Saleshando and Kekgonegile, the president of the UDC, Duma Boko, revealed that the UDC took the decision to suspend the duo after they uttered disparaging and maligning statements about the coalition.
Recently, the spokesperson the BCP told The Monitor’ sister publication, Mmegi, that the UDC has still not addressed the issue of the ‘lack’ of the principles of democracy, good governance and constitutionalism. Initially, the BCP had given the UDC six months to correct these ‘anomalies’. The deadline for the UDC to have corrected these ‘anomalies’ expired on January 19. Following the expiry of the January 19 deadline, the BCP added that the ball was now in the hands of its CC to chart the way forward concerning its stay in the UDC. Now, there is speculation over what will become of the court case if the BCP decides to part ways with its parent body, the UDC. Some people are of the opinion that the BCP vs the UDC case will become academic if the former decides to part ways with the latter. On Saturday, Saleshando briefly told The Monitor that “a decision will be taken by the CC of the BCP sometimes in the first week of February of what will become of the BCP vs the UDC court case if the BCP permanently leaves the UDC”. The BCP is now in advanced cooperation talks with the Alliance for Progressives (AP) and the Botswana Labour Party (BLP) on forming a formidable alliance that will give both the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) and the UDC a run for their money during the 2024 General Elections.
