15 Jul 2022

The Botswana National Front (BNF) elective congress, scheduled for the President’s Day holidays, will go on ahead as planned.

This follows Gaborone High Court’s decision to dismiss an urgent application by Mr Kgakgamatso Kebiditswe and Ms Tlamelo Mpudi, who wanted to interdict the congress and that some decisions of the central committee set aside.

“This is not a proper matter for the court to intervene in the activities of a political party. In my view, the respondent has not breached the constitution or regulations in anyway, neither has it breached the rights of the applicants,” ruled Justice Gabriel Komboni on Wednesday.

He said he found no evidence to suggest that the applicants’ rights had been violated by the party and there was also no evidence to support alleged irregularities that the applicants complained about.

Rather, he said, what the application sought was for the court to level what the applicants perceived as an uneven playing field, adding that politics by its nature was a tough game, which required resilience and hardwork to win the hearts of the delegates and the courts should leave such an exercise to the politicians.

“Courts should not ordinarily be seen to be involved in political contests,” he stressed.

Justice Komboni further said the applicants wanted the court to set aside the central committee’s decisions and direct the party to take certain measures, which in the mind of the applicants would ensure a smooth congress.

He said it appeared that the applicants believed that they were somewhat disadvantage by not being in control of the BNF, whereas their rival lobby group was.

He also said the applicants had stated that the pre-congress activities being the wards, constituencies and the region structures had not elected delegates to the national congress.

The judge said the duo alleged that the party had manipulated delegates for the congress, saying there was no evidence provided to that effect.

Regarding the issue of the duo’s membership of the party, Justice Komboni said the two were BNF members, although they had not attached membership cards to their application, adding the BNF secretary general had also not filed any affidavit opposing their membership.

He dismissed the application and ordered each party to pay its own costs.

Mr Kebiditswe is lobbying for the position of secretary general while Ms Mpudi will be vying for the deputy secretary general position during the congress scheduled for July 16-19.

The two are from the lobby list that has Dr Baatlhodi Molatlhegi as the presidential hopeful against the incumbent Advocate Duma Boko. BOPA