Molome pulls BNF power strings :: Mmegi Online

Over the President's holidays, the Botswana National Front (BNF) ushered in a new central committee, marking a pivotal moment for the party. But beneath the celebrations and reshuffled leadership, one name keeps surfacing, Ernest Molome. Unofficially dubbed the party’s kingmaker, Molome is not part of the front-facing leadership, yet his influence runs deep within the veins of the BNF.

A figure both revered and resented, Molome has carved out a reputation as the party’s behind-the-scenes operator, one who doesn’t just support candidates but positions them to win. This role is not new. Back in 2022, during the BNF elective congress at Ba Isago University, Molome orchestrated one of the most talked-about upsets in recent party history.

At the time, he threw his considerable weight behind the recent past Secretary General Ketlhalefile Motshegwa, ensuring Moeti Mohwasa, a long-time party loyalist, was dealt a strategic blow. Their fallout, insiders claim, stemmed from clashing views on the BNF’s trajectory. Molome, always an advocate for structural discipline and ideological focus, found himself at odds with Mohwasa’s style of leadership. What happened between Mohwasa and Motshegwa is not yet clearly known, or what led to led to the fallout between the former friends.

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