Reatile falls on his own sword

When the BPF pulled out of the coalition, Reatile said, “Our members in different constituencies showed (sic) that UDC affiliates are not respecting the signed agreement of percentage sharing when one is given the constituency they are managing.” He further said, “The agreement is that those given the area shall contest 60% of the wards while others share 40%, but now some parties fail to honour that.” This was a veil reference to the Botswana National Front which is an integral part of the UDC.

The decision to withdraw from the UDC, when elections were less than six months away, was unpopular with a section of the party who challenged the decision in court. The aggrieved members lost the case on a technicality. The judge dismissed the matter on the grounds that “The Applicants have failed dismally to satisfy the requirements of Order 12 (12) of the Rules of the Court on urgency”. It turns out Reatile’s insistence to withdraw from the coalition was his own undoing. He has lost to a UDC member who took his place as the coalition candidate for the Jwaneng/Mabutsane constituency.