Mistrust soils BPF peace talks
Mistrust continues to define the relationship between the Ian Khama-led faction of the Botswana Patriotic Front and the Biggie Butale faction despite efforts by both men to find peace.
Should the tensions and mistrust prevail, that would be a far-cry from the expectations of the die-hards of the four-year old party.
Formed in 2019 by the anti-Masisi faction in the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), which faction was inspired and marshalled by former President Dr. Ian Khama, who had just retired, the BPF has, for some months now, been headlining news channels for all the wrong reasons.
Among other things, one of the immediate causes of the divisions in the BPF was the fact that the Khama-led faction wanted an elective congress where a new National Executive Committee (NEC) would be elected. This faction insisted that democracy was at stake because the NEC had exceeded its tenure in office.
Meanwhile, the other faction, mainly led by the party president, Butale wanted the party to call an Extraordinary Congress where it would interrogate the party constitution and its processes.
Unable to convince each other, the factions went on overdrive as they maligned each other. The divisions led to resignations, defections, sprees of suspensions and expulsions; a development which led to further tensions, anger and uncertainties.
In aid of the reconciliation agenda, the BPF leadership has reinstated Vuyo Nottah, Tshekedi Khama among other party cadres who had been suspended.
In addition to that the faction led by the party president, Biggie Butale, has co-opted some cadres from the opposition faction including Tshekedi who had been suspended.
According to a source, the majority of BPF members now want an elective congress including those who were opposed to the idea at first such as Samson Guma. Guma could not comment on the elective congress because his phone was not accessible by press time.
“There is a high possibility for the elective congress to happen during the July holidays because that is what the majority is saying at the moment. Butale is still opposed to the elective congress but his is now a minority position,” a senior BPF member said.