Township Rollers chairman, Spencer Mmui, has moved to consolidate his position amid reports that he had been replaced by one Walter Kgabong in a special meeting held a fortnight ago.
Dismissing reports of his ouster, Mmui insisted he would remain leader of the club until the general membership decided to vote him out.
The meeting, were his so-called ouster was engineered, was called and addressed by club secretary, Khumo Masonya, at the Botswana National Youth Centre grounds in Gaborone.
However, Mmui maintained the said meeting was informal as only he as chairman had power to convene a meeting as per the constitution of Township Rollers Football Club.
According to reports, Mmui had been replaced because he formed part of those who have mounted a legal challenge against the recent takeover of the club by Township Holdings which is led by businessman Jagdish Shah.
The case is before High Court judge Leatile Dambe and be heard on November 23.
By forming part of the disgruntled group, Mmui has ruffled the feathers of a certain group led managing director, Somerset Gobuiwang, according to the reports.
“As far as I know, I remain the rightful chairman of Township Rollers Football Club as per the constitution. I’m looking at the rule of law and nobody has the powers to take me out except the general membership at a meeting which has been called by me,” said Mmui.
He pointed out that as per the constitution of Botswana the supporters have every right to take the matter before court especially if they are not happy with a matter that affects a society like Township Rollers FC.
“I understand that I have been suspended because I have signed the affidavit and I find that ridiculous. It is no secret that that I’m not happy at the way the handover was done. I was not involved in the whole process of the handover but I’m the chairman of the club. I’m surprised that some people are claiming that I have not been attending the executive meetings yet I’ve been sidelined. To show that I’m active member of Rollers I continue to attend the games,” he added.
Mmui lambasted Masonya for addressing an ‘illegal gathering’ because as secretary he takes instructions from the chairman on any matter relating to the club.
In his response, Masonya dismissed Mmui as a bitter person and pointed out that they are not going to have sleepless nights because of him. Masonya said that the meeting was called at the request of the supporters.
“The special meeting was called at the request of the supporters and there was no way we could not listen to their grievances. The supporters wanted to know the resolutions of the November 2012 meeting and other matters relating to the club. Since the chairman has been missing from the club’s activities, it was the supporters who resolved to elect the new chairman. With or without him (Mmui) life has to go on. The most important thing is that we did not discuss anything relating to the court case because we know the sensitivity of the matter,” Masonya added.
He called on Rollers’ supporters to continue rallying behind the club and not be disturbed by some of the negative things which are said in the corridors. “Whatever we’re doing as the leadership is for the betterment of the club. We want to improve the image of the club and we are not going to leave any stone unturned,” Masonya said.
