Thursday, March 23, 2023

Sports Council on the lookout for new CEO as Raditladi resigns

Just a mere ten months since appointing Percy Raditladi as its Chief Executive Officer, the Botswana National Sports Council (BNSC) finds itself back on the hunt for a new CEO.

This follows Raditladi’s resignation from his post due to ill health. The BNSC CEO’s resignation has now left the council in a lurch and in need of a new person to spearhead its operations.

According to BNSC Chairperson Solly Reikeletseng, Raditladi, who was appointed as the BNSC CEO in September last year, has requested to be relieved of his duties to focus on recuperating. The outgoing CEO is said to have not enjoyed good health since he was stabbed by thugs when he was attacked two months ago.

It is said that ever since the attack, which left him in need of an operation, Raditladi has been out of his office and in the medical waiting rooms for prolonged periods. The departure of Raditladi is seen as a test and blow to Reikeletseng’s reign at the helm of the BNSC, with the outgoing CEO said to have been his close ally in the ‘ongoing internal politics,’ at the council.

Speaking in an interview, Reikeletseng, who expressed sadness at the resignation of Raditladi, said the outgoing BNSC CEO’s departure will leave a big void, adding that it will be difficult to find his replacement. He said while Raditladi was yet to fulfill his intention of making the BNSC partially self-sustaining rather than solely relying on the government, the outgoing CEO has done so much in his short tenure spearheading the BNSC Secretariat. The BNSC Chairperson credited Raditladi with being a force behind the BNSC 2028 Strategy as well as the streamlining the BNSC fortunes, saying he leaves the BNSC in a solid path to achieve its aim of financial self-sustainability.

With Raditladi now all but lost to the BNSC, Reikeletseng said the race is now on to try and find a replacement.

“My hope is that we have a new CEO at the helm by September next month or in October at the latest,” Reikeletseng explained. Asked how difficult it will be to find someone who could fill the boots of Raditladi, the BNSC Chairperson said as a man and as a leader, the outgoing CEO cannot be replaced.

“Every person has his leadership style and his own way of doing things. We cannot expect to find someone who will do things like Raditladi did and we will rather be focusing on finding someone who can continue what Raditladi started,” Reikeletseng said.

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