A former member of Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD) Advocate Sidney Pilane is threatening to sue the party’s Vice President Wynter Mmolotsi accusing the latter of defaming him, The Telegraph learnt here Monday.
In a text message he sent to Mmolotsi, Pilane reportedly said he was fed up with ‘the nonsense’ said about him in the BMD and if ‘this continues’ he would not hesitate to sue for a possible defamation.
The Telegraph has learnt that after receiving the message Mmolotsi forwarded it to other members of the party leadership seeking their interventions and advice.
Pilane has recently applied to join BMD. But his application has been turned down by the party’s Gaborone North Branch.
On Monday Mmolotsi chose not to comment on the matter.
On the other hand Pilane told this publication to look for more details from the person who shared his text conversation with Mmolotsi.
“This issue is between me and Mmolotsi,” said Pilane.
Last week the Gaborone North constituency branch met at Tsogang Primary School to decide the political fate of Pilane only for the majority to vote against his re-admission into the party.
The Branch chairman Maano Thukwi told Sunday Standard last week that majority of the branch felt Pilane is a controversial character who will divide the constituency.
He said the Branch is of the view that his coming back has the potential to destabilize BMD and its cooprerating partners.
“For the sake of the image of the party, the branch felt the issue should be viewed in the bigger picture to safeguard the image of the party, not to mention the leadership,” he added.
Of the 15 member bloc, 3 were undecided and thereby abstained from voting while two voted in favour of Pilane with the majority voted against his re-admission.
Most BMD members are reported to be uncomfortable with Pilane because of his association with the DISS Director General, Isaac Kgosi. Pilane and another local law firm Chibanda Makgalemele and Associates have been linked to a DISS planned war of attrition against the media. Pilane has in the past written a statement to say he only treated Kgosi as a client.
If true, the strategy involves among other things, wearing media houses out with law suits to create a chilling effect against reporting on the corruption investigations against the DISS and its Director General by the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC).
Pilane feels that he was not rejected by the BMD but by some interested individuals in Gaborone North Constituency.
The matter is before the party leadership, Pilane hopes that the party leadership will deal with the matter appropriately.
