Gaolathe's BMD faction remembers Motswaledi

The rivalry between the faction led by Ndaba Gaolathe at the troubled Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD) and Botswana Congress Party (BCP) is far from over. In a new development the faction has organised an event over the weekend to remember their late leader, Gomolemo Motswaledi in Mogoditshane.

The event will be held at Big Five Hotel where the first meeting concerning the formation of the party was held seven years ago. Interestingly the lineup of speakers does not include even the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) leader, Duma Boko but his vice at Botswana National Front (BNF) is in the list of speakers. The BCP leader Dumelang Saleshando is also not on the list. Ever since the BCP was announced as the official partner to UDC earlier this year, there has been no love lost between the two organisations.

There is also belief that ever since the fracas at BMD played out in the open Gaolathe who has been at loggerheads with his National Executive Committee (NEC), has not enjoyed any support from Boko. Last week Boko was playing hide and seek where he stands in the BMD crisis, but only chose to talk about the importance of the constitution, something which the Gaolathe faction has described as a piece of paper and not more important than the masses.

Among those in the list is Labour Secretary of Botswana Federation of Public, Private Sector Unions (BOFEPPUSU) Johnson Motshwarakgole. After Gaolathe was suspended, Motshwarakgole publicly declared his support for him and openly hurled insults at Gaolathe’s enemies. Tobokani Rar,i the federation’s Secretary General is also expected to grace the controversial event on Sunday. The past Sunday (31st July) marked four years since the passing of Motswaledi after he was involved in a fatal car accident along Pitsane road. He was arriving from party assignment in South Africa. There have been reports that he was killed. After his funeral UDC engaged private pathologists to investigate his death but the report of that investigation has remained under wraps ever since.