The Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) caucus held to nominate a mayoral candidate on Sunday at the BDP Francistown offices was plagued by factional mutiny as a bitter power struggle between the two titanic BDP factions Barathaphati and the Khama-Merafhe resurfaced.
No love was lost between the two rival camps as they did not shy from pronouncing support for candidates backed by the two camps, marking the end of the truce that was widely publicised after the Molepolole congress.
While interviewed councilors agreed in principle that factions were counter productive to progress, indications are that factions in Francistown are still alive and deepening with the approaching primary elections.
Some interviewed councilors on a condition of anonymity did not shy from aligning themselves to one of the two factions.
“The factions are dead in principle. That is just to put up a unity face, but on the ground the factions are still there,” a BDP councilor said.
Despite tireless efforts by the leadership, including a number of retreats and counseling from party veterans the BDP factions look set to haunt the party in the forthcoming general elections.
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