The Botswana Boxing Association (BoBA) President, Dr Thato Patlakwe says there is no rift between his Executive Committee and the old Executive Committee. The BoBA President says as far as he knows, negotiations are still ongoing for the old committee to do the official handover.
This is contrary to what is alleged to have been said by members of the new committee alleging that the old committee is refusing to handover.
“What people fail to understand is that BoBA is currently in a period of transition. It is not just a simple case of people giving you office keys and access to the laptops, computers or the association cheques. We have to sit down and be told how things have been run in the past so we know where we are building from,” the BoBA president explained. He says with this being the first time ever that this will happen in BoBA history, people do not know how the process works, hence the current confusion. Dr Patlakwe says handing over is a process and as thus it cannot be done and finished in one meeting, which is why the process has not been finished yet.
Asked what could be delaying the process, the BoBA president answered that both the sitting Executive Committee and the old Executive have not yet found a common time to sit down and do the handing over process. “All that we have to do is to find a common time that is suitable for all and the process will be done. Neither my predecessor Mr Michael Moroka, nor any member of the previous Executive Committee has refused to meet up with us,” Dr Patlakwe says.
On his relationship with Moroka, the incumbent BoBA president says the two have an amicable relationship. He says as things are at the moment, Moroka has ‘not shut the door’ on him and has assured him he will always help him should he need his help. “As with all other past committee members, he (Moroka) loves boxing. He wants to see boxing progress and he has assured us of his availability to help us grow this sport,” he says.
Despite Dr Patlakwe denying of the rift, insiders say there is an undercurrent of tension between the two. “While the current committee would like us to believe that the past committee is stalling the handing over process, the truth is they also have been stalling the process,” the source said. According to the source, who commented on condition of anonymity, both committees have so far been unable to find a common date or in some cases just refused to meet with another. “The first meeting between the two was scheduled for the 4th of October, which is a Saturday. The past committee, however felt it would not be suitable and asked for it to be fast forwarded to the 2nd of October, which the current committee, however, believed was not suitable,” the source explains.
He says following the two failed meeting proposals, a third date of the 9th of October was proposed but the two committees could also not agree on the date. “It was then that Dr Patlakwe and the current committee proposed the 15th of October. Unfortunately, when Moroka and another former executive Committee member, Gilbert Khunwane, arrived for the meeting, they were chased out. What we hear is that they were informed by the current Executive that they (current committee) were not prepared to meet them as they had not confirmed the meeting,” the source explains.
Reached for comment, Moroka said he will not comment on issues relating to BoBa executive committee. He, however says as far as he knows, the two are only failing to find common time and once they find it, the issue of handing over will be done.
