In the current secretariat, Setete is the longest serving member, having been in charge of the office since 2005 and, according to many people, he knows the Premier League football and its politics like the back of his hand.
Setete has served as office assistant before ascending to the top post of GM. He has been the face of the Premier League for almost seven years and he has received criticism from the football community whenever things were not going right. Despite that, Setete has soldiered on and accepted his mistakes even when he was not in the wrong.
According to many, this was because of his passion for the game. During the 2010/2011 season, he was showered with praises for having ensured the smooth running of the league, especially when it comes to fixtures. That was then. After yet another perfect season, earlier this year, the BPL board saw the need to bring a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) who would help improve the image of the league.
That person was none other than Bennet Mamelodi who used to market BPL through his company, Pula Marketing.
That meant Mamelodi becomes Setete’s boss and everything he does, he has to go through the CEO. The appointment was a bitter pill to swallow for Setete, having been loyal to the BPL for many years even under the most difficult of circumstances. Sources claim that Setete has never been an admirer of Mamelodi and it was not going to be easy for the two men to work together peacefully. Let alone report to Mamelodi.
Soon after the appointment, Botswana football was marred by controversy when two games were scheduled at UB Stadium on the same day and time. Township Rollers, Mochudi Centre Chiefs and TAFIC all appeared at the stadium on May 9 causing confusion amongst football lovers.
Efforts to come up with a solution failed and the games had to be abandoned. As the boss, all knives were drawn for Mamelodi and he vowed that an investigation into the matter would be conducted. The responsible person would be punished, said Mamelodi at the time.
Though the Rantao Commission said nobody was to blame for the mess, it was clear that the matter was not dead. Interestingly, BPL news started leaking to the media even those which were regarded as confidential.
Recently, the BPL board deliberated on the matter and all fingers are said to have been pointed to one man, Setete.
While many claim that Setete was suspended due to the recent audit conducted at BPL, which yielded some irregularities, others say that is not the main reason.
“I think he (Setete) was doing it (leaking the confidential issues) to the media as a way of getting back at the board. Little did he know that he was stabbing himself in the back. I understand his frustration on the appointment of Mamelodi but he must have learnt to live with it. In 2005 when Big Fish (Comfort Ramatebele) was fired, it was because he was not in good terms with Setete,” said a source close to the developments. The source further revealed that Mamelodi has tried his best to work closely with Setete but he was too bitter to handle matters.
Mamelodi has decided not to reveal the reasons behind Setete’s suspension saying that it was a decision which was taken by the BPL board. At a press briefing last week, Mamelodi said he was not happy that someone in his office was leaking confidential matters to the media. This comes after some of the issues which were discussed at a board meeting were passed on to a local publication. He promised to fire anyone who will be found to be doing such a thing.
Whether Setete’s suspension is a sign of warning to other BPL staff remains to be seen.
