Says the elective congress next year won’t be about toppling anyone
MPHO MATSHEDISO
Although he is saying very little, Reverend Dr. Prince Dibeela holds that the Botswana National Front (BNF) does not belong to any one person. Dibeela is expected to run for the presidency of the BNF at the party’s next elective congress that is scheduled to take place in March next year. “We are not toppling anyone,” says the Reverend.
Dubbed “Team Restoration,” Dibeela’s lobby list comprises former MP for Ghanzi North, Noah Salakae as the Secretary General and Nelson Ramaotwana for Deputy Secretary General, among others. Speaking to The Botswana Gazette, Mokgweetsi Kgosipula, who is the campaign manager, said he was hesitant to share the matter with the media in detail.
“It is a fact that we are lobbying for Duma Boko’s removal from the party presidency next year, but those are still internal matters at the moment,” he noted. “A full announcement will be made to the media at the right time.”
Factions of the BNF have reportedly led to certain senior members of the party being overlooked for important party events such as welcoming new members. “I am not aware of any press conference conducted to welcome new members into the party,” Kgosipula said. “I do not know anything about that.”
Kago Mokotedi, who has been drafted into the Dibeela lobby list, says he is only a visiting member of the BNF and is therefore hesitant to participate in an election that could divide the party. “I am only a visiting member of the BNF,” the young attorney said in an interview. Those close to these developments say Mokotedi is a surprise addition to the Dibeeka camp because he is a well known fan of Duma Boko.
Meanwhile, the incumbent president of the BNF welcomed new members to the BNF at a press conference in Lobatse this morning (Monday). Among the catches was Kamal Jacobs who lost the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) primaries in 2018. Others included Adelaide Gaetsalwe, Thabo Loeto and Gobuamang Motlogelwa.
Boko has said the BNF will have a new approach to Botswana’s next general elections in 2024 and that the party intends to make a complete overhaul of Botswana’s electoral system. “During the 2019 general elections, even the judicial system was rigged as you saw us losing even the petitions we sent to court,” he said.