The sour relationship between the two BPF factions, one led by 'acting president' Caroline Lesang and the other by 'leader' Biggie Butale, worsened this week after they reached the High Court.
The BPF circus does not end there. Lesang claims that Butale is still on suspension for allegedly sexually violating a female party activist and other transgressions while Butale asserts that he is now at the helm of the party. In fact, last week Butale addressed a press conference in Gaborone saying that he was back as the interim president of the BPF.
Things came to a head when Butale and the BPF secretary-general (SG) Tshekedi Khama suspended three key members of the party’s national executive committee (NEC), Ford Moiteela, Samson Guma and Lawrence Ookeditse, for 90 days pending a disciplinary hearing.
Moiteela, Guma and Ookeditse belong to the Lesang faction while Butale and Khama (Tshekedi) are in the same faction. Following the purported suspensions of Moiteela, Guma and Ookeditse, Lesang retaliated by taking the matter to the High Court on a certificate of urgency.
In her court papers, Lesang says that she is the acting BPF president and has cited Butale (in his capacity as the suspended BPF president) and Khama as the SG as the first and second respondents respectively.
With the BPF, a party that was formed following a bitter fallout between President Mokgweetsi Masisi and his predecessor Ian Khama, and opposition currently resembling war zones, it will be hard for voters to entrust them with the levers of power.
The tumultuous developments that are currently obtaining in the BPF mirror what is happening between the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) and its affiliate, the Botswana Congress Party (BCP). The political tug of war between the UDC and the BCP has led some political observers thinking that opposition unity in Botswana ahead of the 2024 General Elections is just a mirage. The savage infightings within Botswana’s opposition ranks have already emboldened the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) about an easy victory in the 2024 plebiscite. In fact, Masisi has chided the opposition during a recent BDP gathering saying that the BDP should not be gauged against a weak opposition.
A University of Botswana (UB) political analyst, Adam Mfundisi says the current bickering within the BPF - a party that was formed a few months before the 2019 polls - will have far reaching implications.
“This political battle may lead to the breaking up of the party, which is relatively new in the political landscape. Secondly, it may lose its influence among voters thereby damaging its chances in the 2024 General Elections. Thirdly, it may affect its negotiation powers with the UDC. All in all, the political factionalism within the BPF will negatively affect the UDC image and status. It is reminiscent of the Botswana Movement of Democracy (BMD) saga that affected the UDC prospects at the 2019 General Electiosn particularly in the Botswana National Front (BNF) of UDC strongholds,” says Mfundisi.
According to the analyst, the courts are not the best avenues to solve political issues.
“Courts cannot resolve political problems. But they provide a legal redress to resolve differences among members of society including political parties. Courts ensure equity in delivering judgements to resolve problems peacefully. In most cases, courts are reluctant to interfere in the affairs of political parties unless on point of law and interpretations,” Mfundisi observed.
The political analyst added that the BPF issues are happening while its patron, former president Khama, is on self-imposed exile in South Africa (SA). “This happens at the time when their godfather Ian (Khama) is on self-exile in SA and therefore, further damages its electability. The BPF is facing an identity crisis in which it has been labelled by its BDP opponents as the creation of Khama and therefore, in his absence it has lost its credibility and existence. One may argue that the BPF was not formed on any clear ideological position but out of anger against the CAVA brigade under Masisi. It was a reaction to Masisi’s onslaught on the former president Khama and his associates or supporters. Voters may in the long-term lose confidence and trust on the BPF if the political battles are not resolved," Mfundisi told Mmegi.
