FRANCISTOWN: Botswana People’s Party (BPP) president, Motlatsi Molapise has not resigned from the party as per his wish.
On Wednesday this week, the BPP central committee met at Tati Siding to deal with Molapise’s impending resignation, but prior to the meeting, Molapise had expressed his desire to quit as president in order to focus on his personal commitments.
However, some within the BPP gave contradictory reasons for Molapise’s resignation. Sources allege that Molapise was not sincere when he said that he wanted to resign.
“ He was trying to gauge his importance in the party after several central committee members expressed dissatisfaction with some of his decisions as president,” one insider who was part of the Wednesday meeting said.
It is reported that some executive members were open to the idea of letting Molapise go, but it was eventually agreed that he should leave after the general elections if at all he wants to resign.
The general consensus amongst those at meeting was that the BPP should solely focus on helping the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) to win the elections billed for next Wednesday.
“Majority of those at the meeting had a feeling that Molapise was trying to weigh his significance in the party. A decision was however taken that the Wednesday meeting should not intensely deliberate on his resignation.
It was agreed that the party should solely focus on the general elections,” reiterated another insider.
It is said that amongst factors that did not please some central committee members was the suspension of Mbaakanyi Lenyatso and Mathodi Modisapodi, candidates for Francistown West as well as Tati East at the 2019 general elections. Molapise and the party secretary general, Venter Galetshabiwe were accused of orchestrating the ousters.
In addition, other central committee members did not endorse the suspension of the duo a matter that reportedly did not sit well with Molapise. The aforementioned actions by the central committee members are said to be amongst key factors that ignited talk about the resignation.
Yesterday, Molapise confirmed that he would not quit as president until after the general elections. “ My intensions to resign were genuine. Every BPP member is important in the party and I did not say I am resigning as a way of measuring my importance in the party. That is totally untrue. It is malicious.”
He added, “I cannot fully disclose what was exactly discussed at the Wednesday meeting, but it was agreed that my resignation will be discussed after the general elections. My wish has always been to quit as president before the 2019 general elections”.
In 2003, Molapise retired from active politics but was recalled to lead the party in 2009 after the resignation of Bernard Balikani who would later join the ruling Botswana Democratic Party BDP. Since then, Molapise has been at the helm of the party.
