Mochudi Centre Chiefs society has lost the first round against their company namesake, but the war for the life and soul of Magosi may be just beginning.
Recently, the society lost an emergency motion filed before the courts pertaining to the ownership of Centre Chiefs. The society has now sent an ominous warning to its company version.
“We want them to know that we are coming for everything, I mean everything that they stole and still continue to steal, including money stolen from National First Division in the amount of 61k and 39k that was fraudulently transferred to a third-party account via a forged resolution,” society chairman Victor Kobe warned.
Speaking in an interview, Kobe was adamant that Centre Chiefs, the football club, still belongs to the society. He said the club was fraudulently taken from the society and ‘changed into a company’ as alleged.
He says Center Chiefs has never registered a company that uses its name ever since the commencement of the transformation process. According to him, it is rather ‘a section of stubborn and greedy renegades which fraudulently registered that company without consent from the committee that was sitting then.’
“A lot of people were lied to by the previous committee. They were told that their society has been deregistered or dissolved and therefore the company has taken over the team and other assets and the running of the office. This was confirmed by the previous chairman’s letter (Mothulatshipi) and Timothy Sefakwe’s letter of resignation which was so misdirected and instructed supporters that should they go ahead to represent the society in any activity would be illegal. This were all threats to intimidate supporters,” Kobe says.
The Centre Chiefs society chairman says a lot of illegality happened in between the commercialization process and they seek to tell the truth about it. “The real owners of Mochudi Centre Chiefs are the supporters, fans and the community at large. It does not belong to these two renegades masquerading as company shareholders,” he says.
He goes on to say the whole process of the team’s transformation is illegal as it was never endorsed by any resolution of society. He says their attempts to engage on the matter were rebuffed by the ‘two shareholders.’
“We were told we are not recognized by them, two shareholders. They claimed the society was not in existence. This is where everything fell off. We were even addressed as elements from their press releases, so we then decided to go the legal route after exploring all the possible channels of engagement,” he says.
Kobe however as much as a legal route has been taken, the society wishes for an amicable solution. “We are willing to engage in progressive solution that will give society control of its property. And this we shall do in either through the courts of law, or through the table,” Kobe says.
Meanwhile, Mochudi Centre Chiefs PTY Ltd Public Relations Officer (PRO, Ontlametse Letsholo is also adamant that all due processes were followed in the transformation process.
“Due process has been followed to transform the team into a company. Guiding documents were drafted and signed by some of those before the courts now. It now pours scorn over their conduct. If ever there was to be fraud, wouldn’t one of the regulatory bodies picked it?” he asks rhetorically.
“The BFA has granted permission for the team to be a company. CIPA has authorized the transfer of the team logo to company. Land Board has overseen a flawless transfer of River Plate ground to the company. All this confirms that the legitimacy and control of Centre Chiefs is under the company,” Letsholo says.
The Centre Chiefs company PRO says they have tried ‘to listen to the society’s side of the story. He however says they thwarted all efforts ‘insisting that the courts will adjudicate.’
“We respect that position as it is well within their rights. We urge supporters to follow nothing but the truth, and the truth is as I relayed to you that the company is holding forte. However, we respect everyone’s choice to associate and cease association at their own determination,” he says. While the society rages over the team ownership, Letsholo says they have to come to terms with the fact that ‘the locomotive has already left the station.’ “We are at an advanced stage to usher in a new era filled with success,” he concludes.
