MASERU — BNP president Thesele ’Maseribane yesterday hailed the Court of Appeal judgment saying a dark cloud that hung over the party had been lifted.
Speaking at a press conference in Maseru, ’Maseribane said they would be “very far with developing our party” had it not been for Justice Mahase’s judgment.
“The judgment forced us to suspend a lot of projects because we could not ascertain if the Court of Appeal would uphold Justice Mahase’s ruling,” ’Maseribane said.
“This court battle was targeted at me as a person, with different forums discussing and dissecting my person. But it has not put a dent on my integrity. If anything, it has helped build my profile further because I’ve won it,” ’Maseribane said.
He also rubbished Molapo’s charges that he had won the BNP leadership using underhand tactics as “ridiculous”.
“I never intended to contest the BNP leadership, but I was asked to and I did just that. I won fair and square. It was an open race, with seven candidates vying for the same post, but I emerged victorious,” ’Maseribane said.
He added that there’s nothing wrong with seeking power in a manner that is moral.
“I was born to a chief. I’m not ashamed to say I would pursue power and political leadership because those are things I understand. I just don’t like power for the sake of power,” ’Maseribane said.
He said there was no denying that the court battle had affected the BNP negatively as there were financial repercussions to deal with.
“The court battle has affected our finances. Our legal representative, Advocate Kananelo Mosito, doesn’t come cheap. It also affected us emotionally.”
BNP secretary general, Ranthomeng Matete, added that the legal battle had also resulted in confusion within members of the BNP who feared that the contempt of court charge against the party’s executive committee would “land us in jail”.
“When it emerged that we had been found in contempt of court by Justice Mahase, the BNP members were worried and confused. They feared what would happen to the party if we were locked up,” Matete said.
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Matete also dismissed the notion that the lengthy legal battle might have left the BNP divided.
“Whether the court case has divided the party is yet to be seen. It’s still early to say for sure what has happened because it has just ended,” he said.