Thursday, February 6, 2025

Ndaba Gaolathe continues with his tour after BMD executive tried to stop

Leader of the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD), Ndaba Gaolathe was over the weekend in Maun as part of his tours to brief members about the state of the party.

His visit to Maun comes in the wake of efforts by the National Executive Committee to stop such tours.

Addressing a press conference last week, BMD Secretary General, Gilbert Mangole said the NEC has decided to halt the tours by the party leader.

Mangole said the president and his deputy are using the tour to promote factionalism.

Gaolathe for his part maintains that as party leader he is accountable to the membership, and is thus obliged to brief them about the state of their party.

According to Mangole the NEC learned through the social and print media that the President of the Movement and his deputy have embarked on a country wide travel termed “Presidential tours”.

“It is regrettable that the NEC has never been informed of these tours by the party leadership. While the President is empowered to embark on any such tours, the BMD constitution, Articles 20.1 (a), (c) and (e) compels him to do that in full consultation and agreement with NEC,” said Mangole.

Mangole said it is highly regrettable that while it is expected that such tours should promote unity, when done as per the constitution the current tour by Gaolatlhe and his deputy seems to be promoting the contrary.

“We learn that these tours are used to ridicule the NEC and even more regrettably to subject some members of NEC to abuse and insults. It is against this background that the National Working Committee, at its meeting of June 21st, resolved to ask the President and his Vice to halt these tours with immediate effect so that proper consultation with NEC is undertaken,” said Mangole.

At pains to hide the true state of their party, BMD secretary general says the NEC is still very much intact as elected by the Gantsi Congress and does convene its meetings.

He however admitted that is a fact that there is a group of NEC members who have vowed to make it their intention and habit to display unruly behaviour and render the NEC meetings untenable.

“What is even disturbing is that this group seems to enjoy the support of some of the top party leaders. On a number of, if not on all, occasions when this group is in attendance, the meetings are never peaceful and end up being disrupted.

Modubule is said to have approached Gaolatlhe requesting him to suspend his Presidential tours but this was never successful. Gaolatlhe is said to have told Modubule that he is continuing with his Presidential tours as scheduled. 

Commenting on the long awaited report on Gomolemo Motswaledi’s death, Modubule seems to be agreeing with other people who say the report is overdue and must be released.

The official position of the UDC is that investigations on the accident that killed Motswaledi are still ongoing.

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