A long-time activist of and former officeholder in the Botswana National Front, Timothy Mmopi, is challenging the eligibility of the party candidate for the Mahalapye East constituency, Augustine Nyatanga, through the Lobatse High Court. The urgent application will be heard by Justice Matlhogonolo Phuthego this coming Thursday – June 20.
Nyatanga and another BNF member, Lawrence Tshipana, put their name forward for vetting by the Constituency Committee. The result was a report that says that while Tshipana “had everything that the Constituency Committee asked for”, Nyatanga “failed to produce the right information that was needed by the Committee.” Going into elaborate detail, the report says that at a January 18, 2024 meeting, Nyatanga failed to produce three crucial documents: his BNF membership card, a copy of the receipt of payment for his candidacy as well as a transfer letter from Boteti East constituency where he had apparently been living and working. Minutes of the meeting say that when asked to state which ward he came from, Nyatanga replied: “Mahalapye Ward.” The secretary noted that “there is no ward in Mahalapye East called that.”
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