Member of Parliament for Gaborone West South, Botsalo Ntuane faces a tenuous political future after an activist colleague reported him to cabinet that he is behind the leaking of recent proceedings of the Botswana Democratic Party strategy retreat held for the party’s parliamentary and council candidates.
The contents of the proceedings were reported almost verbatim by Weekend Post newspaper sparking anxiety and fears of┬á infiltration at the ruling party’s highest structures.
Since then a further damning audio tape by acting Minister of Education, Skills and Development Mokgweetsi Masisi who is also Chairman of BDP sub-committee responsible for publicity has been leaked. Masisi’s comments in the tape were made at the same retreat meeting.
In the audio Masisi makes self-incriminating suggestions about his own integrity by saying he had continued to negotiate with private radio station, Gabz FM while he knew that the BDP would not want to be part of the radio’s elections programming.
The Telegraph can confirm that the person who reported Ntuane (name withheld) to President Ian Khama and cabinet is not a substantive member of cabinet but rather one of the aliens recently invited by Khama to attend cabinet meetings as part of strategy to bolster the ruling party’s floundering campaign efforts.
The said activist who is over the moon for attending cabinet meetings has on more than one occasion been heard boasting that he is behind Ntuane’s impending disciplinary action.
Since then cabinet ministers who talked to The Telegraph have expressed worries that some of the people invited to attend cabinet meetings have not been sworn to secrecy.
Their quality has also become a source of comical whispers among some BDP members.
“It is not clear what value they are to cabinet except to peddle lies,” said one minister who did not want to be quoted for fear of annoying the Chairman of Cabinet.
Ntuane is known to harbour ambitions to become Secretary General of the BDP, a position currently held by Mpho Balopi.
Were the BDP to act on the allegations against Ntuane it would add to his near insurmountable woes at a time when he is literally fighting for his political life. He faces stiff contest from Ndaba Gaolathe of the Umbrella for Democratic Change.
It would also not be the first time that Ntuane faced disciplinary from the BDP.
After being served with charges of indiscipline almost five years ago he opted to resign from the party rather than submit himself to disciplinary proceedings.
He went on to become interim leader of the Botswana Movement for Democracy before settling for the number two position after he made way for Gomolemo Motswaledi who died two weeks ago.
Ntuane was to later retrace his steps to the BDP after an impression was created that the problems that had earlier bedeviled the party, creating a climate of persecution for him and others had been resolved and put behind.
With the latest developments he is bound to ask himself if his decision to go back to the BDP was the right one afterall.
