Bontshetse fights Tonota recall
Chakalisa Dube | Tuesday August 5, 2014 12:56
Bontshetse was last week controversially recalled from contesting the general elections in Tonota at the general elections later this year, giving the upperhand to his rival, Pono Moatlhodi.
However, Bontshetse, who last week said he would engage with his campaign team and manager before deciding on his next move, yesterday said that he was planning to approach the party leadership this week to discuss his recall.
“After thorough introspection and consultation with my family I have decided that it will be best for me to approach the party leadership and present my position to them,” Bontshetse said.
“My intention is to meet the leadership before the end of the week. I believe that I should have been called for a hearing to explain my position to the party but that was not done. I was just recalled without a hearing.”
Earlier, Bontshetse had told the media that he was contemplating court action against the party.
“The decision I take, be it legal action or otherwise, will be informed by the results of the meeting I will have with party leadership if that meeting materialises,” he said.
“I am yet to meet his campaign team and manager.” Yesterday the BNF Secretary General Tapiso Kgosikoma maintained that the party had acted in good faith in recalling Bontshetse. “The party executive called him to a meeting on Thursday, 24 of July where it informed him (Bontshetse) that we were recalling him because he has been addressing the media on very sensitive issues,” he said
However the recalled candidate maintains that he was never told that he would be recalled at the meeting.
“The party should produce records to show me that they informed me that they would recall me at the meeting,” Bontshetse said.
A high ranking source last week told Mmegi that at the July 24 meeting, the party proposed that Bontshetse pave way for veteran Pono Moatlhodi who defected from the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) a few months ago. However it is said that Bontshetse refused to step down and the executive told him that BNF President Duma Boko would decide the candidate for Tonota.
However, Kgosikoma said that it was not entirely Boko who made the final decision but the whole party executive.
Though there is no official confirmation of the candidate who will represent the party at the general elections, Moatlhodi is favoured to contest following Bontshetse’s recall.
For many weeks there has been infighting between BNF members in Tonota, with some members rooting for Moatlhodi to contest the constituency based on his vast political experience.