For those kids who grew up in the dusty rural areas, ntlo se thubege (house do not collapse) was a common game, more especially in the aftermath of rains.
With a foot in the ground, a kid would pile wet soil over it to build a mud house. As the kid piles over the wet soil, they would compound it with their hands while crooning ‘ntlo se thubege.’ This was a plea to the mud house not crack or collapse when the foot is pulled out from under the wet soil.
If well compounded, the mud house would stand. If not, it would collapse once the foot was pulled out. The Botswana Karate Association (BOKA)’s self-declared Interim Committee finds itself figuratively engrossed in this kids’ play as the battle for the control of the association continues.
Even before the Registrar of Societies (RoS) could approve of ‘their committee,’ a member has already quit. On the eve of the ‘interim committee’s first press briefing this past Tuesday, Public Relations Officer (PRO) Moses Tubego resigned from his post.
In a letter dated 03rd March 2025 and addressed to interim Committee president Keorapetse Mogopodi, Tubego outlines his resignation ‘is with immediate effect.’ Aside from expressing gratitude for the experiences he gained during his time with the ‘interim committee,’ no reasons are given for his resignation.
“It is true our PRO has resigned,” interim committee Secretary General Boitumelo Koone says. “He forwarded us his resignation through a WhatsApp message on Monday night, just before our scheduled press briefing the following day.”
Koone says the interim committee is yet to establish the reasons behind Tubego’s resignation. They are yet to engage him to understand his reasons. Given the difficulties they are facing to get recognised as a legitimate committee, they have not had time to engage their erstwhile PRO.
The Interim Committee Secretary General however says the PRO’s departure should not be construed as a sign of his committee’s collapse. He insists that some of the attendees of their recent Special General Meeting (SGM) are threatened to quit. However, they do not expect anyone else to follow Tubego on the way out.
For those observing from the opposite side however, the interim committee PRO’s resignation is a sign of collapse. With time running out and the Botswana National Sports Commission (BNSC) yet to decide on the BOKA matter, the ‘interim committee’ is under pressure. This past Thursday, they had a meeting with a BNSC representative but no resolution is in sight.
“When we met them on Thursday, they requested us to submit all the files needed. They however did not tell us exactly which documents to submit, something which frustrated us. As we probed, they requested us to wait for the BNSC Chief Executive Officer Tuelo Serufho to come and help us. Unfortunately, he is currently not available and will only be in office this coming week. So, we have to wait,” Koone says.
Elsewhere, Mpho Bakwadi says the so-called interim committee is child play. As the substantive BOKA president, he believes the ‘interim committee’ has no legal standing. In his opinion, the ‘interim committee’ failed to follow all the required procedures to call a meeting which complies with the BOKA constitution.
Among the many fails to comply with the constitution, he points to the attendance and participation of non-BOKA members in the proceedings. These non-members, in particular, are Karate Nomichi Federation and Botswana Gujo Kai Karate Federation. The two styles, led by former BOKA president Tshepo Bathai and former national team coach Chris Ponatshego respectively, were expelled from BOKA by the Bakwadi led committee.
Despite it being common knowledge that they were expelled, something which even the ‘interim committee’ acknowledges, a list of SGM attendees shows both sent at least three representatives each. These were allowed to take part in all proceedings, which, ironically, included their reinstatement. In the elections which followed, Karate Nomichi was even able to have two members in the interim committee. These are Moses Hirschfeldt as interim treasurer and Moemedi Mpebe as interim vice president technical.
And it seems that is not all. Tubego’s ‘representation’ of Kofukan Botswana at the SGM is also questioned. Ahead of the SGM, Kofukan sent him a letter warning him not to take part. He however defied the warning and was even voted as the interim PRO. This allegedly led to Kofukan seeking to expel him, which in turn led to his resignation from the interim committee.
With odds stuck against them, the interim committee can for now only pray that their house does not collapse. If the BNSC does not rule in their favour, which even they believe is possible, they will have one last resort, the Minister of Sports, Jacob Kelebeng.
According to sources, they have already reached out to the Ministry officials to arrange a meeting with the minister. They are awaiting the response.
