The BDP had full control of the city council until it lost several councillors, including Deputy Mayor Haskins Nkayigwa, who defected to the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD). Taunyane has also defected to the BMD. In a one-sentence letter addressed to the BDP secretariat, Taunyane says he has tendered his resignation "from BDP with effect from August 12, 2011". When contacted for comment, the civic leader confirmed that he has quit. Like a magnet, the BMD, a splinter party formed by erstwhile BDP stalwarts, has been pulling councillors and Members of Parliament (MPs) from the ruling party. Almost all of its MPs, except Nehemiah Modubule, who was an independent before he joined the party, are from the BDP.
A cynical observer, who spoke to The Monitor on condition of anonymity, said after some flip-flopping by MPs Phillip Makgalemele and Patrick Masimolole and lately South-East District Council (SEDC) Chairperson Anne Joubert, who moved to BMD and back to the BDP, the splinter party will have to be cautious, lest it celebrates a victory that would later fizzle out as people retrace their steps to the ruling party.
