- Claim general membership was not consulted about joining UDC
- BPF dismisses the disgruntled as members of SDP
SESUPO RANTSIMAKO
Disgruntled members of Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) have accused the president of the party, Mephato Reatile, of failing the party and want him to resign from his position and the BPF to quit the UDC.
In a voice recording that The Botswana Gazette is in possession of, members of the concerned group making this demand say they have given Reatile enough time to resolve their grievances but he has “failed dismally”.
Says Motlhalefi Dikomang, acting as the spokesman of the group: “The time for you to step has arrived because you seem confused in leading this party. We are going to bring everything into power to take our party back.”
Root cause
He characterises the decision to join the UDC as the root cause of all disputes engulfing the BPF and calls for its reversal. “The BPF joined the UDC without proper arrangement or consent of members,” says Dikomang.
“The decision was influenced by two National Executive Committee members, Ford Moiteela and Lawrence Ookeditse.
Not a BPF member
“After joining the UDC, there were a lot of issues that needed to be resolved but the party president disregarded this because he was influenced by his two friends. So it is high time Reatile stepped down and gave us our party to rebuild.”
The BPF formally joined the UDC in April last year after an extraordinary congress endorsed the resolution that called for the party to join the opposition coalition.
Reached for comment, BPF spokesperson, Lawrence Ookeditse, dismissed the grievances of the concerned group and said Dikomang is not a member of the BPF.
Social Democratic Party
“There is no issue here,” said Ookeditse. “The decision to join the UDC was endorsed by the majority and the minority has to accept this because that is the way to go.”
He insisted that Dikomang is not a member of the BPF and linked him to the Social Democratic Party but Dikomang dismissed this.
“Every time when we raise complaints, we are declared members of the Social Democratic Party (SDP),” Dikomang responded.
Brainchild of BPF
“This is shocking because this party is the brainchild of BPF members who were against Biggie Butale as president, including Ookeditse and Moiteela.
“The plan was that if Butale won the court case to lead the BPF, the SDP would be an alternative party. So it is sad that every time we are linked to this party when we are all associated with it.”