BISA divided ahead of AGM
Trouble is brewing at the Botswana Integrated Sports Association (BISA) ahead of their elective Annual General Meeting (AGM) scheduled for November this year.
Fresh information reaching BG Sport indicates that the current BISA leadership is now more divided than ever. A litany of allegations coming out of the multi sports code body includes maladministration and unprofessionalism and embezzlement.
Sources close to the matter this week said the BISA family are now fed up with watching things go astray and they are now calling for change. Sources have since revealed names of the Executive Committee who are no longer serving the interests of the association but rather personal gain.
The said officials (names known to BG Sport) are accused of living beyond their means and seen splashing money on lavish cars using proceeds from BISA activities. Reliable sources that prefer anonymity said some individuals in the executive are already under the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) radar.
Meanwhile the committee is said to be misusing funds. “They have failed to account for the 2014-2016 P1.3 000 000 sponsorship from Kgalagadi Breweries Limited who have sponsored development activities. Even today we are failing to get a clear report from them,” a source said this week. Concerned sources further lamented that it was difficult to get through to the BISA leadership. Every time affiliates demand answers there are always dire consequences. These guys are dangerous but clearly our association is rotten,” the source continued.
“BISA is an affiliate of the International School Sport Federation, however a concern was raised that the association is currently not benefiting from the international federation,” a source said.
“We sent an athletics team there to the International federation in 2014 and there was no feed back. Botswana is paying huge subscription fees to the federation and our leadership uses thousands of pula’s when attending Annual general meetings, yet there are no results,” said a concerned party.
On the other hand, BISA president Joshua Gaotlhobogwe was not shaken by the allegations making rounds. “We are going for elections and some people are busy pushing their own agendas by trying to tarnish the existing committee, we are a well administered association,” said the calm and collected Gaotlhobogwe.
Quizzed on whether he was aware of the division within his association resulting from alleged funds misuse, the president maintained that BISA is one solid team. “People are ignorant, we have just submitted our audited files to Price Water House Coopers, we have always shared that the sponsorship from Coca Cola is not monetary,” he explained.
Gaotlhobogwe went on to explain that the Ministry of Education is fully behind them. “If the ministry did not have full confidence on us, it would not continue pouring thousands of pula’s at BISA,” he said.
Meanwhile BG Sport has learnt of an existing lobby lists allegedly led by different influential individuals within the association. One of the parties is against the current BISA Executive while the other is said to be the most unwanted by masses but wants to claim power.
