BOMU set to deliver awards report today

The presentation is meant to explain the criteria used on the awards, contribution made by the five judges and the 40 percent made through SMS, said BOMU secretary general Nkgopolang Thomelang. An international private company, Price Water House Coopers, did the auditing.

Thomelang also said the purpose of today's presentation is for BOMU and the auditors to submit their findings, given the controversy that developed after the awards night. 'We want to establish if the awards were fair and done to the best practices,' the BOMU secretary general said.

He said the chief judge Gomolemo Motswaledi, who works for the University of Botswana (UB), will make the presentation. The panel of judges will also make their recommendations and provide the way forward for BOMU and its affiliates.

Thomelang called on all stakeholders to attend to get the facts from the independent auditors themselves. 'It will be open to all BOMU stakeholders. The music awards are no longer a BOMU event but a national social calendar event; so we expect every stakeholder to make a contribution on how to select the nominees, winners and probably the categories,' he said. He added that the open presentation is meant to ensure transparency.

He stated that this is the true moment when all doubts and uncertainties would be cleared as far as the awards are concerned. 

Ironically, one thing that made news headlines when the 2007 BOMU Mascom awards were mentioned was the tension between the music union and kwasa-kwasa icon Franco Lesokwane aka Franco. The outspoken musician has accused BOMU executive committee of sabotaging him after they controversially denied him access to the Gaborone International Convention Centre (GICC) hall. Franco, who was awarded in absentia, has been suspended pending a disciplinary hearing. As BOMU is expected to elect a new committee next month, Thomelang concedes that the outgoing committee experienced a bumpy spell in office but hopefully the new committee would do better this year. The youthful Tlhomelang, who is seeking a second term in office, said they were not able to reach many corners of Botswana. 'This year we aim to cover most areas that we did not reach last year,' the BOMU secretary general said.

He said BOMU is still pushing the copyright issue with the Ministry of Trade and Industry.