All roads lead to Lobatse on Saturday where the newly resurrected Botswana Labour Party (BLP) is expected to rise from the ashes and hold its inaugural elective congress and usher in new leadership.

The congress is billed for the Lobatse Senior Secondary School multi- purpose hall.

The party has been run by an interim central committee which was announced recently and it has been performing the role for a period of less than two months. Functionaries, who recently bolted out from the Botswana National Front (BNF), mostly constitute the interim central committee.

Interim president, Dr Prince Dibeela was the vice president for the BNF. He told Mmegi that his former party is a hostile environment, and hence why most people on the interim board are ones that have mostly detached from the BNF.

The interim central committee members are Nnana Moseki (vice president), Kgakgamatso Kebiditswe (secretary-general), Tlamelo Mpodi (deputy secretary general), Mosimanegape Nnasau (national treasurer), Mokgweetsi Kgosipula (administrative secretary), Maikano Mmolawa (national organising secretary), Moatlhodi Mugabe (national affairs secretary), Osale Kesiilwe (commercial affairs secretary), Makgoa Moring (women’s wing president), Lopang Kgokilwe (youth wing president), and Mpho Ditlhabano (secretary for elders council).

They are the very same people who will be contesting to keep their places in the main central committee.

In an interview, Kebiditswe revealed that they have planned for the day to work out. “The broad outline of the big day is that delegates are expected to arrive starting Friday afternoon, and they will be accommodated at Lobatse Senior Secondary School,” he said. “The official programme will kick off on Saturday morning at 9am with an open session, expected to run until 1pm,” he told Mmegi.

Kebiditswe explained that after the open session the congress will then go into a closed session, wherein the officials of the interim central committee will present reports, and the reports will be followed by the open discussions.

“After the reports, and open discussions, we will then set to have presentations, which will focus on debating, and adoption of the congress resolutions. The interim central committee will then be dissolved and the elections for the substantive party leadership will be held,” he said. The nominations for people who want to run for the central committee election will be made on the floor of the Congress hall.