Badminton crisis reaches boiling point
Calistus Kolantsho | Saturday February 24, 2024 06:00
The executive committee reported Bogatsu to the police for contravening the Cybercrime and Computer-Related Crimes Act. The sequence of events started on February 11 when members of the executive committee passed a motion of no confidence against Bogatsu, a member of the Gaborone Badminton Club.
The BBA president, Modisaotsile Badubi, explained the situation, stating that the meeting was intended for executive committee members to provide updates on their assignments. “Bogatsu did not complete his assignment without any valid reasons. He failed to provide minutes of several executive committee meetings despite being present, as well as failing to deliver on several important action items,” he said. After his removal, Bogatsu wrote a resignation letter on February 12, alleging maladministration and embezzlement of funds.
The letter was sent to different stakeholders but excluded the BBA. Badubi said although the letter was addressed to him as the president, it was never delivered to him. He explained that on February 14, the BBA received an inquiry on the matter from the Botswana National Sports Commission (BNSC), the Badminton World Federation (BWF), and the Badminton Confederation Africa (BCA).
The local body was advised to handle the matter using internal processes. “This is a clear indication of his motive, which is to tarnish the efforts of the executive committee and inevitably bring the name of the association into disrepute,” Badubi said in a letter to the clubs. He further explained that Bogatsu disabled BBA domain log in details for which he had administration rights. The official also failed to submit the necessary documents needed for the amendments of the constitution to the Registrar of Societies (RoS). Badubi said he ended up getting the documents from Bogatsu and submitted them to the RoS. He said the executive committee decided to suspend Bogatsu from all badminton activities while disciplinary procedures are ongoing. Meanwhile, the BBA executive committee met on Wednesday to address allegations made by Bogatsu. Badubi confirmed that they have opened a case against Bogatsu at the Kutlwano Police Station in Francistown.
“The case against Bogatsu is for contravening the Cybercrime and Computer-related Crimes Act.
The matter is being dealt with by the CID office. I understand they contacted him on Monday and on Tuesday he returned the domain login information to the former vice president, Essence Gaodumelwe, who also happens to be the one who opened the domain during his tenure and handed the rights to Bogatsu when he stepped down,” Badubi said. In his resignation letter, Bogatsu stated irregularities in the financial management of the association. “The president uses funds from the BBA account to travel to Gaborone for meetings. He has never produced receipts for these funds because he did not use the funds for the intended purposes,” his letter reads in part. Amongst other allegations, Bogatsu claimed there were supposed to be proceeds from hotel bookings and entries of international players during the 2023 Botswana International Badminton tournament, which never saw the light of day, and members within the association are either afraid to speak out or have turned a blind eye. “The atmosphere within the association lacks the ethical standards and moral integrity expected in the organisation.
An example is a trip to Zimbabwe of the junior team in which the president spearheaded the whole trip by handpicking an unqualified team based in the northern part of Botswana, which has never won school championships,” Bogatsu's letter further reads in part. Speaking to MmegiSport, Bogatsu said he has submitted the minutes that Badubi is talking about except for minutes of one meeting where he arrived towards the end of proceedings. “According to the BBA draft constitution, the president can appoint someone to record meetings in my absence. Badubi always likes taking things personally, even the motion of no confidence was passed by him and influenced other members,” he said. Bogatsu argued that the BBA does not have a constitution, and the existing document is a draft not signed by the RoS. Regarding the constitution, Bogatsu said last year RoS did accept the document because the BBA had not submitted a financial report. “The challenge I had with Badubi is that he never respected deadlines, even if he gives you a deadline, he will come around and blame you for failing.
He took over the issue of the constitution and decided to submit it to the RoS,” he said. He added that the association does not have a constitution, and the executive committee did not have the powers to pass the motion of no confidence against him. Bogatsu said he could not embezzle funds because the BBA did not even have funds to run its activities. Regarding the appointment of the treasurer, Bogatsu said Badubi made the appointment alone through a telephone call. On Monday, Bogatsu submitted a letter to the BNSC calling for a financial audit at the BBA.
He informed the commission that over the past few months, there have been reports regarding financial irregularities within the BBA, which include fabricated reports of Shuttle Time projects in Bobonong and Mmadinare, sponsorship funds for the Botswana International 2022, and an expenditure report of Botswana International 2023. “These reports have highlighted discrepancies in financial transactions, questionable expenditures and lack of transparency in the association’s financial operations. An audit should be for the BBA 2022-2023 financial year,” the letter reads. Bogatsu said for peace to prevail in BBA, members should call for an audit. Meanwhile, Bogatsu confirmed that the police have contacted him regarding the domain.