Furious Botswana People’s Party (BPP) has warned its Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) coalition counterpart, Botswana National Front (BNF) to stop infiltrating constituencies and wards allocated to them where some members decampaign candidates of other UDC affiliates. The UDC National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting that was scheduled for Palapye last Saturday was expected to get a report from the UDC Chairman, Motlatsi Molapise who had been on tour to resolve constituencies and wards dispute between BPP and BNF at Kgatleng East and Shashe West.
However, Molapise did not furnish the meeting with dispute resolution report and promised that it would be soon concluded and handed over to the NEC. BNF had been engaged in a scuffle with BPP in Shashe West constituency where some of its members derecognized the BPP council candidates and moved on to release campaign posters for BNF members.
In an interview, BPP Publicity Secretary Alfred Mashungwa said BPP was disturbed by the conduct of BNF by attempting to unlawfully topple BPP from the constituency and some of its wards. He said the UDC direct member and councillor for Shashe Mooke and Tholodi wards Isaac Nyathi received information that he had been derecognized as UDC council candidate and will be replaced by the BNF candidate instead.
Mashungwa, UDC parliamentary candidate for Shashe West also said he received hostility from some BNF members when UDC announced that the constituency has been allocated to BPP to contest for. “I led the BPP delegation together with MP Ignatius Moswaane to consult with BNF structures and we found out that there has been a group of BNF individuals who gone against to cause divisions and harass BPP candidates. Those people are bad for BNF reputation and need to be punished,” said Mashungwa.
According to Mashungwa, BNF Shashe West constituency committee has assured the BPP of its support, adding that it was not true that BPP would boycott UDC NEC meeting in Palapye in protest of BNF hostile conduct towards BPP candidates.
Kgatleng East
Meanwhile, Mashungwa could not confirm if BPP had agreed to swap Kgatleng East to BNF because of its failure to mobilize structures and launch an effective campaign in the constituency which BNF has also disputed before.
BNF Kgatleng East constituency was against BPP being allocated the constituency, citing that the party is not popular as compared to BNF which had contested and won general election at Kgatleng East before. The BNF member who had been expected to represent UDC in the constituency, Obakeng Matlou protested the UDC decision to allocate the constituency to BPP and frustrated by UDC firmness, Matlou resigned from BNF.
BNF spokesperson, Tumelo Legase when asked if BPP and BNF have opened talks to exchange Kgatleng East, also said he cannot confirm if there are such developments. Legase said the issue of Kgatleng East alongside other wards and constituencies that were disputed is before a committee led by BPP president and UDC Chairman Molapise and as far as he knows, the committee has not concluded and issued resolutions on that issue.