A day before the highly anticipated Serowe meeting addressed by former President Ian Khama on Saturday, suspended Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) MP for Tati West, Biggie Butale dropped a bombshell by resigning from the ruling party.
In an interview with The Patriot on Sunday after he addressed his constituents in Masunga on Friday, Butale revealed that he has decided to jump ship because President Mokgweetsi Masisi hates him with passion.
On his next political home, Butale was cagey with the details but impeccable sources have hinted that he will join the newly formed political party, Botswana Patriotic Front, which enjoys the former president Ian Khama’s backing.
“I will announce my new political home soon. May be in two weeks’ time or may be tomorrow,” he said. Butale explained that the BDP will lose most of the constituencies in the northern part of the country due to Masisi’s blunders by purging dissenting voices within the ruling party.
“I urge Batswana to remove the BDP from power because we have other capable political leaders such as the UDC leader, Duma Boko and Ndaba Gaolathe who are capable of leading the country to greater heights,” Butale declared, ever confidently.
Butale was slapped with a six months suspension recently after he allegedly announced during kgotla meetings at his constituency that he will be contesting for the upcoming general elections despite losing to BDP Youth Wing Chairperson, Simon Mavange Moabi.
The legislator then launched a court case to challenge the outcome of the polls, arguing that the primary elections were marred by irregularities. Butale claims that some of his supporters were deliberately omitted from the voters roll to give his opponent a competitive advantage.
What broke the camel’s back, according to Butale, was his decision to contest for the party chairmanship during the Mmadinare congress in 2015 which made him a sworn enemy of Masisi.
“There is no inner party democracy within the ruling party. President Masisi does not want to be challenged. The party has leadership crises. Batswana need to wise up and vote out BDP at the upcoming general elections,” Butale charged.
Butale also revealed that on numerous occasions, he warned former President Ian Khama that he was making a terrible mistake by appointing Masisi as his successor. The former assistant minister of health, who was recently sacked from cabinet, vowed that he will go on a self-imposed exile should Masisi retain power after the October polls.
He said recently Dr Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi’s supporters were harassed and intimidated for supporting her while others were summoned for disciplinary hearing. “During the Kang presidential congress Venson-Moitoi’s camp was deliberately sabotaged by Masisi allies because the president does not promote inner party democracy,” he lamented.