Township Rollers and investor Tendani Sebata are parting ways on sour terms, with both parties trading blame for the breakdown in relations. Sebata says he regrets ever getting involved with the club, accusing the management committee of dishonesty and being too costly to work with.
“I was never told about the club’s debts,” Sebata claimed. “Now the committee wants me to pay for things I never agreed to and was never part of.” When asked what triggered the fallout, he said simply, “Honesty. That’s it.”
Sebata cited internal confusion within the club as a major red flag that scared away sponsors. “One day it’s Township Rollers PTY Ltd, the next day it’s Popa Popa Investments. Sponsors got confused and didn’t trust the setup. We lost about eight potential partners. I was even left off the shareholding at one point and only added later—still without any value assigned in the registered company,” he explained.
He further alleged that the partnership was questionable from the start. “Last season, we almost didn’t register to play because the team owed former coach Thabo Motang over P200,000. I didn’t know about this debt until I was forced to come up with a payment plan just to help the team register. Vital information was withheld by the committee, but I still made efforts for the sake of progress.”
Although the debt to Motang hasn’t been fully settled, Sebata said multiple instalments have since been paid. Sebata also insisted he won’t be covering player signing-on fees, which he describes as historical debts not covered under his agreement with the club. “We already paid 50% in good faith, even though we weren’t given proper documentation.” He confirmed he paid P350,000 of the P700,000 owed.
When contacted for comment, Rollers Secretary General Obert Kgati gave a brief response: “We’re talking to Mr. Sebata internally. We won’t speak to the media while the separation is ongoing.”
Sebata was also asked about allegations that the committee had expected him to cover additional costs such as travel expenses for matches outside Gaborone, which he said were unnecessary. He confirmed he had not paid player salaries for April and May, but said he would do so once his conditions were met.
“We’re not going to pay the salaries unless our conditions are met,” he stated. He also indicated that BURS will be paid directly once an agreed payment plan has been finalised.
Sebata accused the club of acting vindictively after the fallout. “Now they’re accusing me of money laundering. But before this, they never questioned where my money came from. I regret ever working with them. They’ve now painted me as some kind of mafia figure.”
He further accused the club of illegally seizing his vehicles and equipment, including laptops and cameras. “We’ll only release the salaries once all Sebata Group property is returned in good condition, and the prize money in the Popa Popa account is used to pay the foreign players,” he added.
Sebata also pointed fingers at club chairman Bafana Pheto, blaming him for the breakdown. “His unprofessional behaviour and unreasonable demands made things worse. He knew I wasn’t responsible for certain payments but still pushed for them. That ruined any chance of resolving things peacefully.”
Under the current Rollers management committee, Sebata becomes the second investor to walk away. The first was Jimmy Kereng, who also parted ways with the club due to disagreements over leadership style. Sebata spent just one season with the mighty Popa Popa.
There are now reports that a new investor has been identified, with negotiations said to be at an advanced stage behind the scenes. “If there is anything from us about anyone coming in as an investor, we will release a statement to the media at the right time,” a club official said.
