Behind Guma's resignation
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Thursday December 5, 2013 18:00
The DIS started investigating him soon after a local newspaper reported that Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU-PF) had sponsored some current members of Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) during the Maun congress in May.
Mmegi is reliably informed that DIS at some point secretly screened Moyo’s personal and business accounts. When he did not feel the leadership support against the internal BDP smear campaign and the DIS investigations, Moyo decided to step down.
His close associates claim that embattled legislator’s detractors are behind the ZANU-PF smear campaign. Two weeks ago, they met at a prominent lawyer’s home to hatch Moyo’s downfall. Amongst this group was a prominent journalist. The plan was to sell a dummy to major newspaper about the ZANU-PF’s involvement to sabotage President Ian Khama’s succession plan. It was reported that the ambitious Moyo was eyeing the vice presidency position, something they knew would not go down well with Khama as his alleged preference for his successor is Minister Ramadeluka Seretse.
The ‘strategic media smear campaign’ is said to have succeeded as major newspapers ran the story and Moyo and his close associates were put on the defence. In one week every newspaper carried a story featuring Moyo denying his involvement with ZANU-PF while also declaring his non-availability for the number two spot. In the past week, Moyo cried foul about clandestine meetings of his detractors and the plot against him, but to no use.
Looking more and more isolated, Moyo tried to appeal to the BDP members by challenging his detractors to call for special congress to remove him if they were really done with him.
“We are aware as the central committee that some members of the BDP are holding secret meetings on how to take the committee down. There is no need for them to be holding secret meetings because it is their democratic right to pass a motion of no confidence in the central committee if they do not want it,” Moyo was quoted as saying.
Things took an ugly twist when Moyo was summoned to the Office of President (OP) to explain his alleged involvement with the Zimbabwean government. The former BDP chairperson is said to have maintained his earlier stance that he was not involved in any subversive activities with foreign powers to frustrate Khama’s succession plan.
Last Friday Moyo met Khama declaring his wish to resign his position. “He felt the party did not trust him. He also told the President that he found out that the DIS investigations were taken seriously by the party,” said a source close to Moyo. Khama is said to have asked him to stay put as he investigates.
Moyo’s guilt, according to insiders, was his belief that a BDP chairman is in charge of the party. Moyo, who was among the defectors who founded the Botswana Movement for Democracy in 2010, returned to the BDP last year and within months challenged and beat loyal Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi to the number two spot in the party, chairmanship.
Then Bulela Ditswe came, and Moyo dared to have a say. This was the preserve of the BDP electoral board under Parks Tafa, he was informed. Then the primaries in the north exposed the BDP’s ill preparedness, and the messy appeals that followed, the electoral board ordered a re-run in Serowe North where Seretse suffered a heavy loss against Kgotla Autlwetse. Moyo is said to have strongly opposed that decision as he felt it was tarnishing the image of the party ahead of the 2014 general elections.
In the ensuing battle for authority, Moyo’s voice was lost as Khama outstripped the central committee of its powers on the primary elections, giving Tafa all authority.
The committee was left a eunuch and Moyo powerless, leading to him tendering his resignation on Monday. “Moyo is ambitious and being in a committee that is eunuch was completely no-no to him,” said the source.
But Moyo’s resignation does not mean all is back to normal. He is said to command a lot of support from structures, something justified by the fact that in the highly disputed Bulela Ditswe, the majority of winners are his alleged sympathisers.
Now many, instead of focusing on the greater battle ahead, the 2014 general elections, are in a panic mood, fearing the smear campaign will go down and rope them in. On Tuesday, some of Guma’s sympathisers held a meeting in Gaborone and resolved that if BDP takes action against their man, they would decamp to other political parties.
But the man at the centre of the storm insists he is going nowhere. He told Mmegi yesterday that he does not have intention to resign from he BDP or return to parry leadership anytime now. “I am a BDP member,” he said. In his resignation letter Guma said he want to clear his name without any detractions. Mmegi efforts to talk to DIS Isaac Kgosi proved futile, as he could not be reached for comment.