Chess Association plays checkers
Chaos has ensured the Botswana Chess Federation (BCF) Executive Committee with a recent exchange of suspension letters between incumbent President, Mooketsi Segaisi and his Vice President (Technical) Moses Khutsafalo.
This publication is in possession of two suspension letters which were exchanged by the two parties recently as a boardroom battle is currently developing between the two leaders.
President Segaisi through the letter dated 21st August 2022, suspended his Vice from the executive committee, citing that the federation is aware of the allegations the vice which in their view are leading the organisation, its executive and membership into disrepute given the position he holds as mandated to him by the Constitution of the Federation.
“It is through this letter that I wish to inform you that you are suspended with immediate effect from your position as Vice President (Technical) pending investigations to these allegations,” the letter reads.
Further, the suspension letter indicates that the vice president will be restricted from all activities of the federation.
“We trust the above is in order and anticipate your understanding in the circumstances. During this period, you are to ensure that you do not engage on any activity related to the federation, its mandate or mandate of the office of the Vice President (Technical).”
Following that the Vice President also took his time to serve the head-honcho of the federation with a suspension letter of his own , citing among others; failure to have a proper handing over from the previous committee to the current, failure to account for all the funds from the proxy votes in the last elections, as well as entrance fees of the already held federation tournaments, failure to host an
AGM as per the Federation constitution, failure to engage the executive and chess membership on the money he got from FIDE and sponsorships.
In addition, the letter states that the President requested for BNSC tickets for BNSC awards on behalf of the federation without consultation with the Executive Committee, plunging the federation into further debt. He went on to distribute these federation tickets to personal friends without the approval of the executive Committee and the general membership, Khutsafalo stated.
Segaisi is also accused of voting at FIDE elections on behalf of the federation without consultation with the Executive Committee and the general membership and failure to have a coherent executive committee.
“This has rendered the executive committee to be completely ungovernable under your leadership and thus you have failed as a leader of this prestigious federation. It is through this letter that I wish to inform you that you have been suspended with immediate effect from your position as the president of Botswana Chess Federation, as you failed to execute the mandate of this prestigious office, pending further disciplinary hearing from the clubs.”
During this suspension period, the president is to ensure that he does not engage on any activity related to the Federation, its mandate or the mandate of the office of the President.
Reached for comment, Segaisi said the matter is still under investigation and he will not give any comment. “We have invited some people to do some investigations on the ongoing matters so I don’t think I can speak on the issues unless the investigations are concluded.”
For his part, Moses Khutsafalo could not answer to the questions sent to him by print time as he said he was held up at work.