The Botswana Football Association (BFA) hosts its Ordinary General Assembly (OGA) this coming weekend, November 26, 2022.
After the first physical OGA held in Maun post Covid-19, Gaborone will once again be the host.
Coming on the backdrop of the recent contentious BFA regional football association elections, a lot will be at stake. For the current regime, this OGA is likely to show how they will fare when the association goes to its elective assembly in 2024.
While the mood on the ground seems sedentary, chances are the OGA will be another battleground in the road to the 2024 elective assembly. It will be a test of support the Maclean Letshwiti led regime has at the moment.
At the top of the assembly agenda will be the ratification of Masego Nchingane and Senki Sesinyi as the FA’s first and second vice presidents respectively. Both were promoted to their current positions in the aftermath of the resignation of former first vice president Pelotshweu Mashlow Motlogelwa.
Following Motlogelwa’s departure, Nchingane who was the FA’s second vice president was elevated to assume his vacated position of first vice president. Sesinyi on the other hand was co-opted to fill the void in the BFA National Executive Committee (NEC) which had resulted from Motlogelwa’s resignation. Their tenure in both positions is however dependent on the OGA’s endorsement.
While Nchingane’s endorsement may not be contested, it seems Sesinyi is on shaky grounds. Rumour on the ground is that his endorsement may be opposed, with Maokaneng Bontshetse allegedly eyed as his replacement. This would mean Bontshetse’s name being fielded from the floor.
Reached to comment on the matter, BFA chief executive officer (CEO) Mfolo Mfolo confirmed the two have to be ratified. He said it is possible for the OGA to approve or reject both. On whether it is possible for another candidate to be fielded from the floor to take a position, the BFA CEO said he is not aware. He promised to consult with the association’s legal advisor for clarity.
“In any case, if they are not ratified, Nchingane will still be in the NEC in his elected position as the second vice president. As for Sesinyi, his fate lies with the assembly,” the BFA CEO confirmed.
If those seeking Bontshetse in the BFA NEC get their way, it would raise questions over the current BFA regime’s ability to re-gain power in 2024. It would also mean an opponent of the regime being part of the BFA emergency committee going towards the elections.
At the other extreme end, the OGA will still not be able to resolve the future of suspended BFA NEC member Tebogo Tico Kamati. He was suspended for allegedly violating the dissociation’s code of conduct. He was said to have leaked information to Township Rollers in the controversial Onkarabile Ratanang out of window registration saga.
Regarding Kamati’s suspension, Mfolo said it is not on the agenda. “His case is still with the BFA ethics committee. It cannot be resolved until the same body has made a determination,” he clarified. Away from the usual politics, all eyes will be on the association’s latest financial statements. The financials will show how the association has fared since the financial difficulties which forced out Mfolo’s immediate predecessor Goabaone Taylor. When the latter left, the association was alleged to be deep in the red. It is hoped the presentation of the FA’s consolidated and revised balance sheet will show whether it is out of the woods.
