BPF tight-lipped on Butale hearing
Chakalisa Dube | Monday November 29, 2021 06:00
Butale is facing sexual harassment charges against a student party activist. His hearing was supposed to be in May this year. The hearing was then postponed to July, 2021. In July, the party postponed the hearing indefinitely. Butale would later be slapped with a suspension pending his disciplinary hearing. Last September the party said it could have long called Butale for a hearing, but COVID-19 restrictions have proven to be a challenge.
BPF secretary-general, Tshekedi Khama said as soon as the restrictions are lifted, Butale will be called for the hearing. However, two months after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, Butale is yet to be called for the hearing. “Where we are now is that the disciplinary committee and Butale will have their conversation and decide when the hearing is. We are waiting for a report from them on what they intend to do,” BPF spokesperson Lawrence Ookeditse told Mmegi this week. He added: “The disciplinary committee needs to be allowed to do its job without us in the national executive committee (NEC) appearing to either rush or slow them down. It is a decision of the committee.
I am pretty sure their interest is to resolve all matters as soon as they possible can.” He also denounced suggestions that the BPF intends to stall Butale’s hearing until the party’s elective congress, where it is anticipated that the party’s preferred leadership will be ushered in. Butale and his sympathisers are said to be increasingly becoming frustrated because of the party’s reluctance to set a date for a disciplinary hearing. This week Butale refused to comment in relation to his pending disciplinary hearing. Apart from allegations levelled against him by a university student party representative, Butale is also accused of labelling the BPF NEC a kangaroo court.
He is also accused of convening a meeting aimed at paralysing the BPF at a farm near Mahalapye. Butale maintains his innocence on all charges. The former Tati West legislator and his supporters believe that the charges against him are just a ploy to get rid of him as BPF president. It is also highly believed that Butale, who was ushered in as BPF president in 2019, was never the preferred choice for the party presidency. They aver that he was just a decoy towards the substantive. Secretary-general (Tshekedi Khama) and businessman Samson Guma have been linked with the BPF presidency.