BNF rival camps compromise ahead of congress

Botswana National Front (BNF) President Advocate Duma Boko may score big in uniting the party ahead of its historic elective congress, as rival factions could reach an agreement, Botswana Guardian has learned.

Fresh information reaching this publication is that the two factions, one led by State President Minister Moeti Mohwasa and another by Minister for Justice and Correctional Services Nelson Ramaotwana, were scheduled to meet on Thursday (yesterday) to discuss a compromise list for the coming elective congress billed for Palapye during the President's Holiday.

Currently, Mohwasa is an additional member of the BNF Central Committee, while Ramaotwana is the Deputy Secretary General.

It was feared that the much-anticipated hotly contested congress for the Central Committee could likely breed new factions within the BNF, which is going into the congress for the first time while in power.

The BNF, a contracting member of the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), has been viewed as a critical anchor of the current government. A proposed compromise will see Mohwasa become the

Vice President and his challenger, Ramaotwana, the party chairman.

The current Secretary General, Ketlhalefile Motshegwa, who is also Minister of Local Government and Traditional Affairs, will retain his seat while his challenger, Dr Steven Modise, will become the Deputy Secretary General.

MP for Molepolole North, Arafat Khan, will be the party’s Treasurer. Other positions will be battled out for by candidates who expressed interest in contesting.

This has been viewed by insiders as a great achievement, as there was already tension within the party as a result of the contest for the key positions within the party.

Lately, there have been accusations that the playing field is not level. While the Mohwasa faction accused Ramaotwana’s faction of abuse of office since they have access to key information, the Ramaotwana faction accused Mohwasa of being funded by external forces.

While the Mohwasa-led faction has been against the compromise, insiders have revealed that there is progress in the president's request for a compromise. In one of the WhatsApp group conversations, Mohwasa’s faction made it clear that they want to go into elections and would not compromise.

According to a letter from Motshegwa to BNF members dated April 24th, 2025, seen by this publication, President Adv. Boko emphasised the need to unite the BNF and, by extension, the UDC.

In the letter, Motshegwa stated that the president indicated that it is important for the BNF not to be fragmented into antagonistic lobbies ahead of the congress, something that has the potential to destabilise the BNF, the UDC, and, by extension, the government.

It remains to be seen whether the rival camps will finally cement Adv. Boko's vision of a stable BNF.