The barata phathi faction of the ruling Botswana Democratic Party is expected to dominate proceedings of the party central committee meeting, billed for Monday. Party Chairman, Daniel Kwelagobe, is expected to give the committee a report of the meeting that he held with the estranged trio of Botsalo Ntuane, Sydney Pilane and Kabo Morwaeng, who are facing disciplinary action over allegations that they colluded with the opposition to subvert the party operations.
The central committee is also expected to discuss the fate of Ndaba Gaolathe, also a barata phathi activist, who is facing disciplinary action, with the BDP’s Culture and Publicity Sub-committee baying for his blood after he lambasted the party leadership in the local media.
The Culture and Publicity Sub ÔÇôcommittee is understood to have written a letter calling for tough action to be taken against Gaolathe, who last week wrote a scathing letter to the local media criticising the party leadership for quibbling about trivial issues instead of debating on the party’s policy issues.
The committee’s Chairman, Minister Shaw Kgathi, together with his secretary, Macdonald Peloetletse, both declined to comment on the allegations, saying that they cannot discuss the issue because they are outside the country.
It is understood that the committee’s letter urges the party leadership, which meets tomorrow, to act swiftly to deal with Gaolathe’s indiscipline.
Party Chairman Daniel Kwelagobe is also expected to give a report on his meeting with Ntuane, Pilane and Morwaeng, who are accused of colluding with the opposition to influence the nomination of specially elected MPs. Kwelagobe had been sent to extract a public apology from the trio. But they balked, and demanded that they be shown the report submitted by President Khama’s secret investigating team.
After it emerged that Ntuane, Pilane and Morwaeng are facing disciplinary action, Gaolathe rubbished the charges levelled against them, saying that there was a dialogue between MPs ahead of the nomination of specially elected MPs, with a view to influencing the nomination of banished former Secretary General Gomolemo Motswaledi. According to Gaolathe, Ntune, Pilane and Moraweng were deployed to canvass for support for Motswaledi among MPs.
He stated that there is nothing wrong with working with the opposition if such an initiative is aimed at achieving national goals.
“The ensuing suspension, isolation, intimidation and labelling of dissenting voices in our party, contravenes the robust brand of our democratic tradition,” said Gaolathe in his opinion piece published last week.
