- Moalosi ordered out of leadership forum meeting
- Molaosi accused of being sympathetic to AP
- “It wasn’t me” – Saleshando
- “I can’t talk”- BCP Deputy Secretary General
SONNY SERITE
The Botswana Congress Party (BCP) parliamentary candidate for Shashe West, Motlhaleemang BushD Moalosi was this past weekend humiliated when he was ordered out of the party leadership meeting in Palapye.
Moalosi was given marching orders during a leadership forum meeting that was addressed by party President Dumelang Saleshando. In an interview with this publication on Sunday, Moalosi confirmed the incident and said he was ordered out of the venue by a certain Chiepe who said the order was from the party’s Deputy Secretary General Tshegofatso Raditlhokwa. While he claims no reasons were advanced, Moalosi said some people in the party have informed him that the leadership is not happy with his seemingly cosy relationship with the Alliance for Progressives (AP). ‘‘Apparently by preaching peace and reconciliation with the AP through my social media commentary, some in the party view this as discrediting the BMD,’’ Moalosi said.
BCP President Dumelang Saleshando expressed shock at the alleged incident when reached for comment. ‘‘I don’t decide on delegates from constituencies, the central committee also doesn’t get involved. I am not aware of any delegate that was kicked out,’’ he said further expressing his disappointment that Moalosi never brought up the issue with him. ‘‘We have a very good relationship and he has been very helpful to the party in the EVM case,’’ the BCP leader said.
Asked why he never consulted Saleshando on the matter, Moalosi said the president was already on the podium while all this was happening. ‘‘Mr Chiepe is a respectable party elder and I had no reason to doubt what he was telling me. He even called in the constituency chairman to witness my eviction. Reached for comment, Deputy Secretary General Raditlhokwa said she was not in a position to respond and referred all questions to party spokesperson Dithapelo Keorapetse who in turn said the response given by Saleshando is “the official position of the party.”
Of recent, Moalosi has been condemning UDC members, especially BCP members who attack the newly formed Alliance for Progressives. When AP president Gaolathe Ndaba announced at the party’s policy forum on Friday that they have friends in the BNF, BPP and BCP, some people took to social media to include Moalosi as one of the friends Gaolathe was talking about, something that may have influenced the decision to lock him out of the Palapye meeting.