In Karate parlance, Shobu Hajime means start of the match or bout. A weekend ago, a renegade Botswana Karate Association (BOKA) interim executive committee was ‘elected’ in a purported Special General Meeting (SGM) at Yarona Country Lodge in Mogoditshane.
The ‘interim committee’ is led by Keorapetse Mogopodi as its president. The ‘interim committee,’ according to those who elected it, is replacing the duly elected BOKA executive committee led by president Mpho Bakwadi.
The election of the so called ‘interim BOKA executive committee’ by the aggrieved affiliates marked the end of the virtual contactless Kata like showboating competition. Now, it is Shobu Hajime time, and the actual combat, the Kumite, has begun.
On Monday, 10th February, the Mogopodi led ‘interim committee’ threw the first kick. They sent a letter to the Bakwadi led executive seeking it to hand over the office. In the letter, which is signed by Mogopodi, the interim committee requested that the handover be done on Valentines’ Day eve, 13th February 2025.
The ‘interim committee’ in its letter informed the Bakwadi led committee that the decision followed a motion of no confidence passed on his committee and its subsequent election to take office. As expected, the Bakwadi led BOKA executive has not held back.
On the 13th February, the day they were expected to hand over office, they hit back at the Mogopodi led ‘interim committee’ with a response letter of their own. In the letter, they make it known they do not recognize the ‘interim committee.’
“Our position is that there was no lawfully convened meeting as you purport in your letter,” the letter reads. It then takes on a threatening note, informing the Mogopodi led ‘interim committee’ that its ‘conduct of unlawful and unauthorized use of the BOKA letterhead in your communication contributes criminal conduct.’
“We shall accordingly engage the relevant authority to address this forgery,” the Bakwadi led BOKA warned. It also demanded the Mogopodi led executive committee to furnish them with ‘copies of the minutes and resolution taken at your alleged meeting for our appreciation.’
Despite the standoff, the two committees met on the same day to thrash out some issues. However, no handover took place as the Mogopodi led interim committee could not immediately furnish the in-office BOKA committee with minutes and or attendance register of the Saturday SGM.
“Things did not go as planned,” interim committee Secretary General Boitumelo Koone said in an interview. “They have started their delaying tactics. On the day of the handover, they sent us a letter demanding certain things including minutes of the meeting. These were done at the last minute and unfortunately, we did not have them at the time.”
According to Koone, the interim committee will soon send the minutes of the meeting and the resolutions to both the Bakwadi led BOKA and the Botswana National Sports Commission (BNSC). The latter is also said to have requested the same.
At the same time, the interim committee has given the Bakwadi led BOKA a 48 hours’ time frame to handover office. In the letter, which is signed by Koone, the interim committee demands that he ‘surrender all BOKA assets, records and documents within 48hrs, provide the interim committee with ‘full access to the BOKA office immediately and ‘ensure a smooth and professional transition without delay.’
“Should you fail to comply within the stipulated timeframe, we will have no choice but to formally escalate this matter to the BNSC and the ministry of sports for intervention,” the letter reads.
The interim committee further threatened ‘to engage all relevant stakeholders, affiliates, and sponsors to notify them of the obstruction’ as well as ‘take necessary steps to ensure a full transition without any interference.’
In the same letter, the interim committee charges that there is no justifications for delays in handing over. “The transition of the BOKA executive has already taken place legally and procedurally. The legitimacy of the new leadership is not in question, and any attempt to delay the process further is unacceptable. We will not entertain fabricated obstacles, as they serve no purpose other than to disrupt the smooth running of BOKA,” the letter reads.
Reached for comment, Bakwadi confirmed they met the ‘interim committee’ on Thursday. “At the meeting, we requested that they give us the minutes and resolutions of their purported SGM but they failed to produce them. They then went back on the understanding that they will give them to us.”
“At this moment, we are just waiting on them to furnish them to us so that we understand the legitimacy of their meeting. The minutes and resolutions will help us to understand the composition of the meeting, the delegates and the decision processes,” Bakwadi explained.
Both sides are however cagey as to what steps will be taken next, but legal battles are said to be impending. The interim BOKA executive has threatened ‘to take necessary steps to ensure a full transition without any interference.’ At the same time, the Bakwadi led BOKA is said to be considering a legal interdiction.
