Galebotswe can't be BPF president – Garekwe confirms

As the disputes between the two committees led by Galebotswe, a retired soldier and party fellow who recently lost the presidency, and Assistant Minister of Health, Lawrence Ookeditse, continue, the latter revealed that Galebotswe cannot and will not be the president, as the retired soldier has been within the party for less than two years.

Responding to the allegations following a consultative meeting in Mahalapye, Garekwe confirmed Ookeditse's allegation.

"If you want to be the president of this party, you should have two years in the party prior to that. So, we know that, and we are quite aware, alive to that clause," Garekwe said.

Taking the clause into consideration, Garekwe confirmed that Galebotswe is ineligible to run for the presidency of BPF.

"We are quite aware that if you want to be the substantive president, you have to be in the party for two years, which we declare 'GG' does not have," he said.

Interestingly, Garekwe said Galebotswe is not the president of BPF but only a leader of the interim committee of their faction called Basireletsi ba Molao Motheo.

"We were not choosing the president of the party in Galebotswe but only a leader of an interim committee which will take the party to the congress within three months," he said.

Furthermore, Garekwe revealed that if the party does head to the polls in three months, they will have to look for another candidate.

"If the elections are called by this committee, GG will not run; he will hang up the reins as his part of the job will be done," he revealed.

He highlighted that the situation will remain like that, provided that the clause is not scrapped.

"He will not qualify if he does not have two years, provided that the Central Committee of the National Executive Committee (NEC) can waive that clause," he said.