Councillor wages legal battle to reclaim chairmanship
The legal battle to determine the rightful chair of the Palapye District Council is headed to Lobatse High Court next week as Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) councillor David Buffalo Ikanyeng, seeks to reclaim the position he held for just days before being ousted.
In his application, the Tamasane Ward councillor has cited the Minister of Local Government and Traditional Affairs, the Council Secretary of the Palapye District Council (PDC), the Attorney General, and others as respondents.
The litigation arises from Ikanyeng’s abrupt removal from the chairmanship just days after his election, a move he is now contesting in court.
According to court documents, the PDC passed a resolution on 28th May removing then-Chairman Kabo Ketshogile, who was away on official duty attending a Mayors and Chairpersons Forum in Selibe Phikwe.
Ikanyeng was elected unopposed within the same week. “Immediately upon my election and at the conclusion of that meeting, I took the oath of allegiance, administered by the District Commissioner who was present for that purpose,” stated Ikanyeng in his founding affidavit.
However, his tenure was short-lived as Minister Ketlhalefile Motshegwa intervened, suspending the full council and its committees.
The Minister contended that the removal of Ketshogile was unlawful, as the resolution failed to secure the requisite two-thirds majority of all council members.
Consequently, the Minister set aside the council’s resolution, prompting Ikanyeng to turn to the courts for relief.
The upcoming hearing is expected to clarify the legality of the council’s proceedings and the minister’s authority to overturn them.
