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Botswana: Moupo Axes Own Political Groomsmen
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Mmegi/The Reporter (Gaborone)
24 July 2008
Posted to the web 24 July 2008
Mmegi Reporters
The anticipated riot that would have shamed the Palapye mayhem of ten years ago did not happen at the Jwaneng Botswana National Front conference last weekend.
There was only a knife stabbing and furious words between party president, Otsweletse Moupo, loyalists and dissenters whose challenge was thwarted and almost buried at the Molepolole 'special congress' earlier in the year.
The knife wielding 'party activist', unnamed because he has not appeared before court, has been charged with assault.
Five party gurus have also been charged with the less criminal, but equally injurious offence of 'contravening the code of discipline' of the BNF.
Akanyang Magama, MP for Gaborone South and former secretary general before Molepolole, is among the number that awaits specific offences to be tabled against them in the next two weeks.
His 'partners in crime' in the eyes of Moupo's cartel, are Lebohang Letsie, a conference delegate at Jwaneng and an instrumental person at the organisation's previous elections committee.
Also suspended is king maker, Karlmon Mogalakwe, a resigned member of the central committee who served as chief for international affairs. He, along with Elmon Tafa, former secretary for political education, chaperoned Moupo to the presidency at the Kanye congress in 2001 that ousted the most celebrated leader of the organisation, Kenneth Koma.
Tafa is sacked with youth deputy general secretary, Duncan Basenyapelo. Delegates to the 'conference' point out that the five were named in Moupo's speech as the culprits responsible for sidetracking the organisation from its goal of wrenching government from the ruling Botswana Democratic Party.
Further, the delegates point out that press reports suggesting that the conference endorsed Moupo's leadership until 2010 are false.
Of the four commissions that discussed Moupo's continued presidency, three resolved against, though the Gaborone South. Only one in favour. Central commission submissions were thrown out by the top desk.
This is because they refused to accept the chairman and secretary assigned by the top table to their commission, preferring their own in former Gaborone Mayor, Nelson Ramaotwana, who should also stand for the parliamentary constituency.
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Conference sources point out that the delegates also rejected moves by the leadership to sideline Nehemiah Modubule and his PUSO party.
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