Trouble brewing at Chiefs

Aseemingly rampant storm is threatening to sweep across the Kgatleng football giants and beMOBILE Premiership champions, Mochudi Centre Chiefs.

A concern from some Chiefs’ faithful over the manner in which the club is run is slowly gathering momentum behind the scenes, this publication has learned. The concerns have even reached the Botswana Football Association (BFA) and Botswana Premier League (BPL) offices.

The two offices have each received letters from this concerned group questioning the legitimacy of incumbent Chiefs committee as well as the manner in which the club affiliated to the mother body. This correspondence with the two bodies is likely to disturb the peace that has been reigning at Chiefs.

It is understood that this concerned group is eager to take the incumbent committee led by Chairman Ernest Molome to task. In the commercialization model that was adopted by the club, Molome owns 10 percent of the shares; Ribbon Investment, which belongs to the Jamali family, owns the majority 60 percent while Mclean Letshwiti owns 20 percent.

The Mochudi Centre Chiefs Trust is in charge of the remaining 10 percent. The letters addressed to the BPL and BFA follow a series of secret meetings by this group with a view to understanding certain details in the running of the club. This publication understands that this group of concerned people believes Chiefs is not run as a society despite being registered as one. In one of the letters addressed to the BFA, they seek clarification on the affiliation of Chiefs, whether it has been registered as a society, trust or company.

A source close to the group said this concerned party has been corresponding with the BFA and BPL since last year October. But recently, the BPL received a letter from this group detailing that there was a new committee at Mochudi Centre Chiefs, a committee that should be regarded as legitimate as it was elected by the society on September 9, 2015 in Boseja Ward, Mochudi. One Tsieng Ramocha is recorded as Chairman, Chicken Sentshoe as Vice Chairman, Kitso Maswena as the Secretary while Godfrey Lekgabe is listed as an additional member.

The source stated that contents of the letter demand that the incumbent committee should not be recognised at the BPL on the basis that Mochudi Centre Chiefs are still registered as a society and thus should be run by people who were voted by the society.

“They asked the premier league to cease communication with the current committee,” the source added. BPL CEO Bennett Mamelodi confirmed receipt of the letter but would not disclose its contents. “We have received the letter. It seems Mochudi Centre Chiefs have internal problems and they have to solve them,” Mamelodi said. However Mamelodi said they will need to understand the legitimacy of this committee to start dealing with it. “We cannot just act on a letter that states that there is a new committee which should be regarded as legitimate. It is based on what?” asked Mamelodi.

Despite the letter, Mamelodi said BPL will continue dealing with the old committee. “We have a Mochudi Centre Chiefs committee that we are dealing with,” he said. While the said letter has reached the BPL office, BFA President Tebogo Sebego denied receiving it. “Maybe they have not passed the letter to me because currently I do not have it,” he said.