After months of factional disputes, the BPF has agreed to a mediated ceasefire that restrains public attacks as it prepares for a July elective congress.
GAZETTE REPORTER
Following months of bitter infighting, suspensions, expulsions and courtroom battles that threatened to tear it apart, the Botswana Patriotic Front has imposed a de facto social media gag order on its members as it moves to stabilise its ranks ahead of a decisive elective congress scheduled for July.
The directive follows a marathon mediation meeting held in Serowe on May 28, where rival factions within the opposition party agreed to suspend hostilities and adopt a compromise roadmap towards leadership renewal.
MEDIATION TALKS
The high stakes talks were led by Ambassador Olebile Gaborone and Mogomotsi Goms Kaboeamodimo, who brought together all major factions embroiled in the prolonged internal dispute.
The mediation process was described as intense but orderly, despite deep seated tensions that have, over recent months, played out publicly and in courtrooms, exposing widening cracks within the party structure.
SOCIAL MEDIA RESTRAINT
In a key resolution aimed at restoring discipline, the mediators urged all members of the Botswana Patriotic Front to refrain from issuing unauthorised public statements or posting inflammatory content on social media until the elective congress is concluded.
The move is widely seen as an attempt to halt reputational damage caused by factional exchanges that have intensified internal divisions and undermined attempts at reconciliation.
INTERIM STRUCTURE
A central outcome of the mediation was the establishment of a new 18 member interim committee to steer the party towards congress. The structure will be headed by retired Lieutenant General Gaolatlhe Galebotswe, who assumes the role of Interim President.
The committee is designed to reflect all three principal factions: the camp associated with Baisago, the group aligned to Member of Parliament Lawrence Ookeditse, and the faction led by Galebotswe.
LIFTED SANCTIONS
According to the agreement, executive positions within the interim arrangement will be distributed among the three blocs to ensure balance and prevent dominance by any single grouping.
In a significant gesture of reconciliation, all suspensions and expulsions imposed during the internal conflict have been lifted with immediate effect.
ROAD TO JULY
The decision effectively resets the party’s internal disciplinary landscape, allowing previously disciplined members to rejoin structures as preparations for the congress intensify.
The elective congress is expected to take place during the President’s Day holidays in July, setting the stage for what is anticipated to be a fiercely contested leadership battle.
The process leading up to the congress will be jointly supervised by the mediators and a committee of councillors to ensure compliance with the agreed roadmap and prevent a relapse into conflict.