Gaborone — Two senior officials of the National Democratic Front (NDF) Sarfarz Khan and Sekgopi Bogatsu have defected to the Botswana National Front (BNF). Khan was the NDF treasurer while Bogatsu was publicity secretary.

The NDF is a splinter group of the BNF. The party was formed following a BNF congress in Kanye in 2001 at which Otsweletse Moupo and his allies took control of the party. Former president BNF president, the late Dr Kenneth Koma and others who were not in good books with the Moupo leadership broke away to form the NDF.

The party contested the general elections in 2004 but it has since joined the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) as a group member. The NDF has entered into an agreement to contest the next general elections under the BCP banner. Bogatsu said since they joined the BCP as a group member, the NDF has not been active and that is why he has defected. "The party is no longer active like it used to be." Bogatsu claimed many NDF members have defected to the BNF and the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP). He added that most NDF central committee members have left the party. "We do not have a chairman. Maybe the central committee is left with only six members but we never held any meetings," he said. Bogatsu said when he brought this matter to the attention of the party leadership, no action was taken.

He added that the central committee's three-year mandate has expired. Bogatsu told Mmegi that last year, he reminded the NDF president, Dick Bayford to co-opt more members into the committee to replace those who had left but this was not done.

Khan said he left the NDF because he feels that Batswana needs opposition unity. "It is imperative. We need to heed the advice of Batswana and consolidate our efforts to form an opposition block," he said. Khan is a former BNF central committee member. He said he will try to bring unity in the BNF and the opposition. He is intends to strengthen the BNF to become a formidable force to reckon with. He said there is no true democracy without a strong opposition. The two defectors were accompanied by veteran politician, Lemogang Ntime who quit the NDF for BNF last year. Ntime says opposition politics in Botswana is centred around the BNF because it is a party that is well understood by the majority. "I am very excited to be seeing them coming back to their party. Politics is not all about numbers. It is also about adding value. We are a mass movement whose politics are inclined to the masses," said Ntime.

He described Bogatsu and Khan as hard workers who will assist in reviving the BNF. He recalled that in the past, Khan had bailed out the BNF financially. He said in 1998, when former BNF president, Koma, was taken to court by the central committee, Khan footed the legal costs for the appeal of the case. BNF publicity secretary, Moeti Mohwasa welcomed the two activists and called on other former BNF members to go back to the party.

Mohwasa said the BNF still remains the voice of reason for the opposition. NDF leaders Bayford and secretary general, Phillip Monowe were not available to comment. They were not answering their mobile phones.