The ruling Botswana Democratic Party suffered a set-back last week as the party’s councillor in Gantsi District re-tracked and joined its splinter party, the Botswana Movement for Democracy.
East Hanahai councillor, Masweu Kaekane, who swings back and forth like a pendulum, was amongst the initial bunch of councilors and MPs that sent shock waves through the BDP, defecting from the party to join the newly formed BMD but would, within a short period of time, shun the BMD and rejoined the BDP.
However, the councillor has once more back-pedaled to the BMD, arguing his imagination was clouded by the matrixes employed by BDP members in his district to lure him to return to their party.
“They took advantage of my ignorance regarding electoral matters, recruiting residents to lobby against my incumbency and even threatened to lodge the case with the High Court to pave way for a by-election,” Kaekane told The Sunday Standard, adding, “As a result, I chickened out and rejoined the party.”
Kaekane met a lawyer in Gaborone to whom he explained his predicament.
“He told me not to worry as the High Court threats were a mere trick to cloud and confuse my imagination and I therefore went back to my favourite and lifeblood party, the BMD,” he said.
As asked if he had at any time been enticed with money, Kaekane maintained: “I was never promised anything, not even money. Only threats for a by-election.”
He denied that he was setting a bad precedent moving back and forth between parties like he did.
The BDP confirmed receiving the resignation letter and regretted the departure.
BDP Publicity Secretary, Comma Serema, said history will judge Kaekane harshly in the future.
“He is setting a bad precedent and the residents of Gantsi are going to judge him harshly come 2014 elections,” Serema told the Sunday Standard.
Kaekane apologized to his fellow BMD supporters and said, as a human being, he is also not infallible.
“But I am now more than ready to dedicate my services and direct my energies towards taking the BMD to another great level,” he promised in a statement, warning fellow BMD members to tread with caution in their interaction with BDP members “because our friends, family and associates in the BDP will be used to derail us and make us lose focus.”
