President Mokgweetsi Masisi is said to have last week welcomed the entire Maun West branch of Alliance for Progressives(AP), including the constituency’s 2019 parliamentary candidate- Moalosi Sebati and some council candidates, into the Botswana Democratic Party.
“We have about one thousand new members and currently we are processing over six hundred membership cards which are yet to be issued, but most of them are from AP and many more are joining in from the BCP (Botswana congress Party),” explained BDP’s Regional Chairperson, Reaboka Mbulawa.
The welcoming of the said new members was done in private, but a list shared with the media suggested that among those poached from AP besides Sebati are, Lelebo Monwela who was a Regional Secretary, Outlwetse Tshara, Branch Chairperson in Maun and also former councillor, Kethata Selabe who was the Vice chairperson for Maun West branch and was the constituency campaigner in 2019 for AP, Kandere Thihengo who was a campaign team member in Maun West and Keletso Xhandamo who was campaign manager in Nxaraga ward which falls under Maun West.”
They further revealed that Lere Ramoeta who was AP candidate in Boyei ward in 2019 has also jumped into he BDP wagon alongside Seloilwe Seloilwe, a council candidate for Kgosing/Kubung ward in the past general, Onkagetse Marewa, 2019 council candidate for Nxaraga among many others.”
From the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) the BDP has in its new membership list, Zico Maoveka and Baphutholodi Kgari who was a 2019 parliamentary candidate for Maun East, but then under AP.
He later defected to UDC just weeks ahead of election day.
Confirming the AP defections, Moalosi Sebati said it was true that Maun’s AP especially in Maun West have moved en-masse to join BDP.
AP is a break away party of Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD), which is also a break away party formed by disgruntled BDP members during president Ian Khama’s regime.
