Bongiwe Zihlangu
MASERU — Basotho National Party (BNP) stalwart Majara Molapo has buried the hatchet with the party’s national executive committee, the Sunday Express has learnt.
Molapo, who has been locked in a messy court battle with the BNP since April, met the party’s national executive committee in a closed meeting on Wednesday where the two sides agreed to make peace.
“The meeting was cordial. I am in high spirits. Now all that matters is taking the party forward and devising a strategy to that effect,” Molapo said on Wednesday.
“We cannot dwell on our differences to the detriment of the BNP. The party and the people that we serve should come first.”
The meeting was attended by BNP leader Thesele ’Maseribane, youth league president Ts’epo Monethi, women’s league secretary general, Motšelisi ’Mabathoana, and deputy leader Joang Molapo.
Molapo said he was approached by the BNP leadership for talks and felt the need to reciprocate.
“We’re working towards eradicating our differences,” Molapo said.
“We want to rule Lesotho in 2012 and our differences have to make way for reconciliation. Had they heeded my advice, we’d never have even gone to court.”
But ’Maseribane told the Sunday Express that it was in fact Molapo who had approached the party saying he wanted to “make peace and become an active part of the BNP again”.
“Ntate Molapo said he wanted to contribute to the building of the BNP and for us all to do away with our differences. We agreed because we believe in the culture of resolving issues amicably,” ’Maseribane said.
“We put it to him that had it not been for the court battle, we would have been far with the administrative side of the party.
“But we have also learnt that we need to formulate a policy on conflict resolution,” he added.
Molapo had since April been locked in a bruising court battle with the BNP national executive committee after he challenged the election of ’Maseribane as party president last April.
He alleged that ’Maseribane and the executive committee flouted the party constitution in the run-up to the elective conference.
High Court judge Justice ’Maseforo Mahase in June ruled in Molapo’s favour declaring the BNP elective conference null and void.
Justice Mahase also ordered that a fresh election should be convened within 60 days of the ruling.
However, that victory was short-lived after the Court of Appeal overturned Justice Mahase’s judgment last month.
’Maseribane said the executive committee had also briefed Molapo on the progress made regarding preparations for the party’s primary elections for National Assembly candidates.
“We updated him on such issues. We’ll soon announce when the primary elections will be. We also agreed to never air our dirty linen in public and solve our issues in-house instead.”
’Maseribane was elected BNP president last December.
He replaced Metsing Lekhanya who was ousted in a boardroom coup after 11 years at the helm of the former ruling party.
Comments are closed.