Toppled Kooreme attacks NJ faction

The recently toppled Serowe Administration Authority chairman Mpho Kooreme says he has huge respect for former President Ian Khama and the current Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) presidential hopeful Pelonomi Venson Moitoi, but differs with them on the direction they prefer for the party. 

He said he already knew that his public endorsement for Masisi will draw complaints from some of his fellow tribesmen who are also the BDP members.

Kooreme said he is totally against Venson-Moitoi’s bid for presidency and dismisses actions perpetuated by the faction supported by former president Khama.

He said the internal opposing camp to Masisi had no “a sense of direction” and was welcome to go through the real BDP politics’ ideological orientation.

Kooreme, who faced a brutal coup ’de tat from his fellow BDP councilors through what he beliefs to be drawn from factional lines, said as a Mongwato he will not be deterred from declaring his firm support to the incumbent president Masisi ahead of the party’s congress..

He said it is not wrong for Venson-Motoi to contest for the presidency as per the BDP constitution.

But he maintained that he will not support or endorse her regardless of him hailing from the same locality with her, being Serowe. He said his support remains unshakable towards Masisi.

“Currently the BDP councilors in the central region are divided due to the fact that there is a group that supports and endorsed president Masisi against the wishes of those who support Venson-Moitoi. I will not lobby any support for the group that many considers to be bringing instability into the party.  I am wondering what I have done wrong in declaring my support for the president in his bid, mme legale nna ke eme tsii le Tautona Masisi,” he added.

Revitalising BDP

Kooreme is of the view that some people are rising up against Masisi for the decisions that he made, which he believes will restore back the confidence of many people to the BDP.

“Look Masisi has made a good number of decisions and for that matter based on the consultation process because Batswana have talked a lot about this and were not listened to. Masisi has increased the public servants salaries and is lifting hunting ban following consultations. These are some of the things Batswana have bemoaned before. I am pretty sure Masisi is revitalising this party without doubt to where it belongs,” he said.

Vague reasoning  

Kooreme said he still cannot figure out why his other fellow democrats have found it necessary to topple him, saying that the reasons advanced for the Motion of No Confidence were not lawful at all.

He said the 17 councilors who voted to remove him were simply driven by bitterness over the loss of Venson-Moitoi in the regional congress. He said some of the reasons he was ousted include poor work ethic and poor governance plotted against him.

Moreover, the Swaneng Ward Councillor revealed that part of the five councilors who voted against his removal are aware that there were plots to remove them from sub-committee positions that they hold.   

Elders’ meeting

The outspoken Kooreme has said the Serowe Elders meeting which former president Khama attended as well as Guma Moyo was unconstitutional in many ways and called for stern action to be taken against the conveners. He added that the meeting was a total disgrace to the party.