Botswana Boxing Association (BoBA) executive committee last weekend outfoxed and outsmarted would be coup plotters to prolong their stay in office.
Ahead of last weekend’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), a group of disgruntled BoBA affiliates had hinted they were planning to depose their executive committee.
At the time, at least fourteen (14) clubs were alleged to have agreed to vote out the BoBA executive committee through a motion of no confidence. The numbers would have given the coup plotters the necessary majority to vote the committee out.
However, unbeknown to the coup plotters, the majority of the affiliates had not renewed their subscription fees, something which rendered them non affiliates. Aware of this, the BoBA executive committee played along and allowed the non affiliated clubs to prepare for the AGM, even paying for their accommodation using the BoBA funds.
The coup plotters however got a rude awakening on the eve of the AGM as they were informed that only seven clubs had affiliated and the majority had not.
“Prior to the AGM, we were positive that we were going to overthrow the regime,” one of the plotters divulged. “However, on the eve of the elections, it started filtering in that most of the clubs were not affiliated,” he said.
According to him, the revelation that most of the clubs had not affiliated was enough to kill their intended motion even before the AGM started.
By Saturday morning, when BoBA Secretary General Moremi Lefiri announced during the roll call that clubs that had not affiliated will only be recognised as observers, the majority of the clubs had not even bothered to turn up for the AGM.
This was however not deterring enough as affiliates quizzed the BoBA executive committee on why they had paid accommodation for non affiliated clubs, a question which was never answered.
The BoBA executive could also not give a coherent answer as to why they had allowed non members to participate and compete in BoBA events, save to say they had hoped members would eventually comply.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, one of the coup plotters said it was a clever ploy by the BoBA Executive Committee to allow non affiliated members to continue competing whilst knowing they would not participate at what was expected to be a fiery AGM.
“This is a reminder to all our clubs to always comply with the rules and regulations of BoBA,” he said. Meanwhile, the member alluded that while the committee got a stay of execution, the battle is not over yet.
“We want boxing to progress and letting this committee stay on is not an option. We will regroup and map a way forward,” he opined.
Meanwhile, still at the AGM, BoBA president Dr Thato Patlakwe apologised for the prolonged suspension of the association Vice President Dirang Thipe.
He said as BoBA, it was in their own interest that the matter be resolved as soon as possible so that Thipe could resume his duties, adding that they are looking forward to working with him again.
Addressing concerns that boxing had regressed, as shown by the poor showing of boxing national teams on international events, Patlakwe said it was ‘worrisome when boxing is not doing as well as it is expected to do.’
He however assured affiliates that going forward, their plan was to ensure that local boxers not only compete, but win medals in every competition enroute to qualifying for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
