Three-horse race for BPF as Butale enters fray
Mompati Tlhankane | Monday October 10, 2022 06:00
The NEC on Monday resolved that the elective congress, which was slated for the end of October, be postponed to February/March 2023 and a national conference be held on November 25–27.
This decision has since been challenged by 'acting' president Caroline Lesang who has approached the court for the latter to interdict the decision to postpone the congress among others.
Butale, who was suspended by the party since last year, announced his return to his role as president this week and will compete with other aspirants being former Palapye legislator, Master Goya and former Tati East Member of Parliament (MP) Samson Moyo Guma for the presidency. He confirmed to Mmegi this week that he will be contesting when the party holds its congress next year.
Before Butale entered the fray, Guma and Goya were headed for an epic battle which was already turning dirty with reported backstabbing and sabotage. In what some view as eliminating competition, the NEC has now suspended Guma for 90 days pending disciplinary hearing although he could return just in time for the congress.
Therefore, if the Lesang team won't get the court to interdict the NEC's decisions, Guma won’t be able to campaign because the NEC has barred him alongside some of his team members like BPF publicity secretary Lawrence Ookeditse from organising and engaging in any party activities and identifying themselves as representatives of the BPF.
Lesang’s team wants the court to also interdict amongst others the decision by the NEC to suspend Guma, Ookeditse and Ford Moiteela. Lesang is in Guma’s lobby list as the vice president candidate.
Since Guma is out of the way for now as Butale claims, it remains to be seen what will happen between Butale and Goya since they both have the backing of BPF patron, Ian Khama. On Goya’s team, current secretary-general (SG) Tshekedi Khama is eyeing the vice president position while Jwaneng/Mabutsane legislator Mephato Reatile is chairpersonship candidate.
BPF patron’s right hand man Shadoof Baaitse is contesting for the treasurer position while Phagenyane Phage will be setting his eyes on the national organising secretary position. Moreover, Goya’s team has Kolaatamo Malefho as its SG and Vuyo Notha as his deputy. Internal relations position has been reserved for Carter Morupisi.
In an interview, Butale maintains that he doesn’t have a team because there are no teams at the BPF, and as the president of the party he cannot choose sides. He dismissed a narrative that the party is divided.
His return as president has been seen by some as a tactic to make way for Goya’s ascendancy to the top. Now that Butale has announced his candidacy, everything changes. “There are misconceptions by people who are outside the BPF and they think I don’t have support within the BPF, and that I am just a doll. I am the founding president of the BPF and I command a lot of support,” Butale highlighted.
Butale who is clearly against Guma’s camp feels that people who supported Guma did so not because they are his loyalists. “They supported him because they believed he was the right candidate for that position, they are not his supporters, and they are members of the BPF. Majority of them will stay with the party,” he said.
Butale added that people should not take Ookeditse seriously because he is no longer publicity secretary and is traumatised by the suspension. “If you ignore him he will get tired after two minutes, he loses credibility every time he releases a statement,” he further said.
Even though the key members of the team have been suspended, Guma’s team consists of Baemedi Kudumane as chairperson, Ookeditse as Secretary General, Moiteela as the National organising secretary while Reitumetse Aphiri was eyeing the DSG position.