Guma � the biggest loser?
Ntibinyane Ntibinyane | Friday April 17, 2015 18:00
Who emerged the biggest loser in the recent Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) Women’s wing elections in Lobatse? It’s certainly not only Tshepo Wareus, but also the former party chairperson and Member of Parliament for Tati East Samson Moyo Guma and the leadership of the ruling party.
The feeling amongst the BDP members is that Guma and his team in the BDP leadership were the biggest losers in the latest battle for the soul of the badly wounded party. In fact Guma’s led group is now the underdog ahead of the party’s elective congress in July. At the just ended congress, Guma who is considered a kingmaker in the BDP politics backed the eventual loser Tshepo Wareus against cabinet minister Dorcus Makgato for the BDP women’s wing position.
Wareus lobby list, allegedly sponsored by Guma and some members of the party’s central committee lost all the positions at the women’s wing congress. The Guma group lost with huge and embarrassing margins. The loss according to sources has sent panic into the Guma group also known as ‘Third force’ ahead of the July 5 BDP elective congress in Mmadinare. The Third Force is made up of the BDP leadership including BDP secretary general Mpho Balopi, his deputy Thapelo Olopeng and other senior party members.
Ahead of the women’s wing election Guma’s team pumped thousands of Pula into Wareus campaign hoping to capture the women’s vote, sources alleges. According to sources a day before the elections it was inconceivable that Wareus would lose with the financial muscle of the Guma camp behind her. But she lost to the dismay of her handlers. “Delegates were treated as queens. Most of the delegates were accommodated in expensive hotels and well looked after by the rich members of the Third Force. They were told to vote Wareus, but by the look of things they didn’t, they preferred Makgato over Wareus,” said one of the delegates.
In February the team successfully backed the BDP National Youth Executive Committee chair Any Boatile at the youth elective congress in Masunga. Boatile’s win was viewed by the team as the first victory in the fight for the control of the party. Failure to control the women’s structure is a major set back to the camp ahead of the central committee elections in July. According to supporters of the Third Force this is a temporary set back.
Change of tactics
Smarting from a humiliating defeat the group is trying to regroup and intensify its campaign ahead of the much-anticipated congress, sources close to the faction told Mmegi. The group, which briefly backed Tebelelo Seretse for the BDP chairmanship is now changing tact according to sources. The group has reportedly ditched Seretse and now wants the vice president Mokgweetsi Masisi to contest the party’s chairmanship position. Masisi has not decided yet whether he would contest but sources close to the party say he might enter the race following decision by Tshekedi Khama not to stand for the position but to back his cousin Ndelu Seretse. According to sources Guma met with Masisi this week in an effort to cajole him into standing for the position. Guma and his team intend to approach President Ian Khama to back his deputy should he decide to stand.
“It is highly unlikely that Khama would not back his deputy (Masisi) should he decide to stand. The situation is also made better by the rumour going around that his brother Tshekedi has decided not to stand and is now backing (Ndelu) Seretse. It was obvious that President Khama would have backed his brother ahead of anyone including his deputy,” said a BDP activist preferring not to be named.
Guma’s group is also alleged to be assembling a team that would compete at the July congress. Besides Masisi, insiders are saying the group has approached former Molepolole North MP Gaotlhaetse Matlhabaphiri to stand for the position of secretary general. Guma and his team has promised Matlhabaphiri their support should he decide to stand. “GUS (as Matlhabaphiri as is known in the BDP circles) has told us that he is seriously considering standing. He said this during a meeting this week,” said a senior member of the party in Molepolole north constituency.
Devil incarnate or an angel
Within the ruling party Guma is a polarising figure. Some BDP members view Guma as a devil incarnate with a burning desire to reach the top by hook or crook. There are those suspicious of his motives. “Why is he interested in who leads the BDP’s party structures? Surely he is eying something in future,” said one BDP MP. But some see the man who was among those who decamped to form the opposition Botswana Movement for Democracy in 2010 only to return two years later, as a committed and generous democrat who wants what is best for the party.
“The fact that he refused to serve in the cabinet just shows you the kind of a person Guma is. He is not a man after positions of power,” said a BDP member with strong ties to the MP.
Guma successfully contested the BDP chairmanship in 2013 against Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi but resigned few months later following allegations that his central committee rigged primary elections in favour of his preferred candidates. He denied the allegations. He said then that he resigned from the party to allow “the BDP to focus on a bigger task of preparing for the 2014 general elections without distractions.”
This week Guma refused to comment on allegations that he was backing Wareus and that his group was seriously wounded by the outcome of the women’s wing election.