Reatile Out, Greef In
After a caucus meeting held on Tuesday, the ruling party Botswana Democratic Party has replaced two members of the Pan African Parliament with two of its members, Assistant Minister of Trade and Investment Beauty Manake and Christian Greef.
The duo are replacing Kgosi Mosadi Seboko and Mephato Reatile respectively. BDP Chief Whip Liakat Kablay confirmed the replacements.
“It is true Honourable Manake will be replacing Kgosi Mosadi since we cannot reverse Parliament’s vote on her removal,” he said.
On the same day the party summoned Specially Elected Unity Dow for disciplinary hearing after she turned down the offer to replace Kgosi Mosadi at the PAP.
Dr Dow had stated that the removal of Kgosi Seboko would be unlawful as it is not supported by any law and therefore she would not be party to it.
The Chief Whip denied reports that the caucus also suspended Dr Dow for defying the party and issuing a statement to condemn the BDP.
It later emerged that another member of the PAP, Mephato Reatile, was also replaced by MP for Bonnington South Christian Greef.
Kablay said the Botswana Parliament will write to the PAP to explain the situation in the country.
Reatile said their terms were supposed to end when Parliament is dissolved in the run up to the 2024 general elections.
He said the current delegation can still attend the PAP general assembly as a parallel team to expose what he called the country’s hypocrisy.
“We can still attend and be a parallel delegation making it impossible for Botswana to be admitted at the PAP,” he said. He added that he was not given reasons but heard from the rumor mill that his removal was linked to his departure from the BDP.
Other members of the PAP are Dr Kesitegile Gobotswang, Friction Leuwe, and Simon Moabi.
In a statement issued by the BDP on March 15th, the removal of Kgosi Mosadi was a lawful process that was prompted by the recent dissolution of Parliamentary Committees sanctioned by the House.
“The Pan African Parliament is one of those committees which was affected by the dissolution and to which Kgosi Mosadi Seboko was a member,” reads the statement in part.
Article 6 of the PAP Protocol says that a member can only be removed after they have resigned; removed by PAP on grounds of misconduct; or convicted of fraud, dishonesty, or moral integrity; and others.
Kgosi Mosadi has insisted that she knew nothing about her purported resignation from PAP.
“I know nothing about that issue, ga ke a bolellwa sepe,” she said confirming that she has not resigned from the PAP. “No resignation from me,” she quipped.
Meanwhile, the Leader of Opposition Dithapelo Keorapetse has said that the Umbrella for Democratic Change has resolved to write to international institutions including SADC and the African Union to ban Botswana from attending their meetings unless it demonstrates commitment to democratic values and principles espoused in their constitutive documents.
“The ruling party insists it has to be a majority in all committees even though it is the minority (15 versus 19 in terms of MPs who can serve in committees,” he said.