Factionalism rips karate apart
Calistus Kolantsho | Saturday September 21, 2024 06:00
Tensions came to the fore during the BOKA's Annual General Meeting (AGM) over the weekend where some of the delegates were nearly kicked out of the meeting. The situation escalated to a point where a motion of no confidence was passed against the Mpho Bakwadi-led executive committee. It all started with some of the affiliates rejecting the past AGM minutes, claiming that they did not capture what was discussed.
The other side moved that the minutes were correct and should be adopted. The minutes’ debate took hours to conclude. Bakwadi advised the delegates to vote if they did not agree for the AGM to proceed. “If you are saying the minutes are not correct, let us correct them so that we move forward. This is frustrating. We sent you minutes and we should not be spending time arguing over them. I cannot spend the whole day discussing one item,” he said. When the meeting proceeded, there were calls for reconciliation in order for karate to move forward. Ookeditse Malesu of Shito-Ryu Shukokai Union suggested brokering peace between the incumbent committee and the previous committee over a High Court case. He said BOKA has already spent a lot of money on legal fees and that it cannot be allowed to continue. He accused the committee of using BOKA funds to defend themselves in court rather than using the money for development. “There should be a better way to deal with the issue rather than legal battles. Our members went to court because we failed to put structures in place, they had nowhere to go. We need to come out of the matter without losers or winners,” he said.
Malesu went on to highlight that the executive committee does not have the power to suspend an elected board member. He said secretary-general, Othusitse Tshepang Dick, has been suspended indefinitely, suggesting that he should be reinstated because the executive committee has failed to take action against him. “One of the items that brought tension amongst the members was the exclusion of a motion that called for the uplifting of Karate Nomichi Federation expulsion from BOKA in the minutes,” he said. Responding to Malesu, Bakwadi explained that BOKA cannot withdraw the case, rather, the individuals who took the matter to court are at liberty to withdraw it. He said the committee has no choice but to use the funds to defend the association. “Talk to them, they are your members. We have already spent more than P250, 000 on this case. The case is set for a hearing in December. We cannot agree to reconciliation blindly, there are cost implications,” he said.
Hayashi-Ha secretary-general, Ofentse Bakwadi, shared the same sentiments with Malesu, adding that the matter can be resolved amicably. He said it was not good for karate’s image for the sport to be dragged to court. However, Ofentse quickly changed his mind and said the case must proceed. “We know who aligns with who in karate. In the last AGM, we agreed that missing funds should be reimbursed. Tablets, mats, and television sets should be brought back. Nothing happened. If someone takes us to court because they do not want to return government funds, it is fine to proceed with the case,” he said. The meeting agreed to set up a special task force to lead efforts towards reconciliation between the incumbent committee, the suspended secretary-general, and some members of the ousted executive committee. The task force comprises Malesu, Otto Tafa, and Keorapetse Dube.