The ruckus continues at BOTESSA
The man who contested for Botswana Tertiary Schools Sport Association (BOTESSA) presidential seat Jomo Moalosi, is not going down without a fight. He has appealed the BOTESSA elections committee’s decision that saw him pushed out of the 2019 elections race.
Moalosi, together with Keorapetse Setlhare had shown interest in the presidential elections that were scheduled for the 22nd of February 2019. The nomination period for the elections closed on the 8th of February and the elections committee embarked on a verification process of the two candidates. According to a document sent to BOTESSA member affiliates dated the 11th of February, the elections committee vetted out Moalosi while Setlhare was endorsed.
“Only one candidate, Setlhare, met the requirement outlined in article 10.2 of the constitution and the elections guidelines. If at the close of nominations there is only one candidate validly nominated, the committee shall declare publicly the candidate to be elected. Mr Setlhare has been validly nominated and duly elected president of BOTESSA,” reads part of the document.Reacting to the matter, the unhappy Moalosi confirmed that he is indeed appealing the matter because he was treated unfairly. Moalosi, former BOTESSA Secretary General (SG) said that he was being crucified for things that happened back in 2014 when he left his SG position.
Apparently, Moalosi was not present at the committee handing over ceremony in 2014 and now the chickens have come home to roost. “They used the amended 2017 constitution to throw me out, the law that requires an official to hand over when their term comes to an end did not exist back then,” Moalosi said. Moalosi noted that it was unfair that the 2014 issue has been brought back to life to attack him adding that he did not even miss the ceremony intentionally. “I had a family bereavement to attend to and I had informed both the then outgoing and incoming president of my absence. What is surprising is that my deputy did the secretariat handover for our office,” he said.
On the other hand, one of the officials that took charge of the BOTESSA office in 2014 told BG Sport that no explanation was given regarding Moalosi’s absence during the 2014 elections. Keitumetse Gobotsamang, an additional member at BOTESSA elections committee said that he believes they have followed the procedure in carrying out the 2019 elections verification process, however he refrained from commenting further since Moalosi has appealed the matter.
Chairman of the appeals committee, Mohemedi Masale confirmed receiving a formal complaint from Moalosi and said investigations are ongoing on the matter. Masale noted that they received all the necessary documents this past Saturday and that the expectation is to reach a decision within 14 days after receiving the appeal. “If he still feels aggrieved or any party is not happy with what we will present to them, then they can proceed to other structures, in this case, the Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC).”
Meanwhile, the newly appointed President Setlhare has already hit the ground running. His first assignment was the First National Bank of Botswana (FNBB) BOTESSA awards held in Gaborone this past weekend. Speaking to this publication, Setlhare says in his first quarter as president, he is more interested in uniting the association. “We need to be united for us to achieve goals. I am happy that even former BOTESSA leadership have availed themselves to assist grow the association,” he said. Setlhare explained that having been a tertiary student himself, he fully understands the struggle of their players, who are their key stakeholders.
They intend to meet with members of the Student Representative Councils (SRC’S) in all schools. He said that BOTESSA as the feeder to senior national teams needs to package their product well and make the game appealing even at national level. “The biggest challenge that I have picked in most of the institutions is that there is no proper coordination of school activities and the SRC are the ones who are active. The kids are always alone and we need to speak to management so that they assist players,” Setlhare said.