Kgatleng Regional Football Association (KRFA) faces being denied their voting right at the upcoming Botswana Football Association (BFA) Annual General Assembly (AGA). The region is currently at loggerheads with the BFA following its decision not to vote new office bearers like other regional associations ahead of the upcoming AGA. During its Annual General Meeting (AGM) that was held in Oodi on the 28th of May last month, KRFA opted to retain its committee which is chaired by Clifford Mogomotsi.
The Mogomotsi led committee was only elected into office last year after the then incumbent committee, which was elected a year before, had decided to abdicate office before completing their two year mandatory term. According to sources, during the supposed KRFA elective AGM, some members decided to forego elections, citing that the committee had only been in office for a year and should complete a mandatory two year term. However, with this being the year for an elective AGM, some members queried the decision with the BFA who then wrote a letter to the KRFA seeking clarity. In the aftermath, the BFA is said to have written to the KRFA ordering them to hold the elections as it should be or face sanctions for misconduct. Speaking in an interview, Mogomotsi, who is the KRFA Chairman confirmed that they had been warned by the BFA that they would not be allowed to vote at the BFA AGA should they not elect a committee as per the regulations. “It is true that through our ongoing engagement with the BFA, they warned us that they will deny us the right to vote if we do not hold our elections. As such, the KRFA will meet anytime soon to make a resolution on the way forward. If we agree, we will them call an Extraordinary General Meeting to hold the elections as ordered by the BFA,” Mogomotsi explained.
The KRFA says contrary to reports that they are avoiding elections for fear losing, the truth is that their understanding was that the committee was entitled to a mandatory two years as per the BFA Constitution, which alludes that ‘Members of the Regional Football Association Committee shall hold office for a period of two years.’ “What should be noted is that when we assumed office a year ago, the whole committee of the KRFA had resigned from office. The KRFA then decided to hold elections during our AGM last year and that is how we got into office. We were not co-opted as people are led to believe. Rather, we were elected into office as a new committee and we believed that as per the constitution, we had to serve our mandatory two year period which will lapse next year,” Mogomotsi explained.
Commenting on the matter, BFA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Kitso Kemoeng confirmed that they had warned the KRFA of the possible consequences if they did not elect office bearers. “All regional associations were expected to have held their elections during their AGMs. Only people elected at these AGMs are then allowed to represent their regions and vote at the upcoming BFA AGA,” Kemoeng explained. The BFA CEO said should it be found that one of the regional associations have not followed rules, they will be sanctioned as is the norm. Asked why the KRFA should hold elections while its committee members say they have only served one year of the mandatory term in office, the BFA CEO said election year cannot be moved just because some people were elected midway through the committee’s two year term. “Even some people in the BFA NEC have not served their full terms in office but they will still have to leave office because it is election year. Everyone has to go for elections, there are no exceptions,” the BFA CEO explained.
