The trouble-torn BPP, an affiliate of the ruling Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), recently suspended the Minister of Trade and Entrepreneurship, Tiroeaone Ntsima (party secretary general), BPP youth president, Vivian Ramokapane, (youth league president), Alfred Mashungwa, (communications secretary) and Gaba James (ordinary member). But the BPP leader denied this week that the suspensions of the quartet have not really destabilised the BPP, insisting: “I know four BPP senior members have been slapped with suspensions for misconduct. And what’s happening in the party at the moment has not necessarily caused a problem to the party.” He also indicated that the suspensions were not influenced by any malice but the desire to enforce discipline within the BPP rank and file. But, the suspended quartet are equally pointing fingers at Molapise.
The latter, who is also the UDC chairperson, explained that it is apparent that people generally in the party are not happy not with the BPP leadership but with the nomination of councillors post the 2024 General Election. “As a party, we have never received any communication inviting us to nominate councillors as that is the preserve of the Local Government and Traditional Affairs minister and respective legislators,” he said. “As the BPP, we never influenced the choice of nominations. Now, interested people feel we are to blame for their failures to get nominated. As a party, we were not invited to participate in the nomination,” he emphasised. The BPP leadership concerns emanate from the issue that some members of the party created a WhatsApp group wherein they started attacking the party leadership unduly blaming it for the failed nominations as councillors.
