He wanted to be a top class referee. Although he is yet to reach the zenith of his career, Bondo has surpassed even his wildest imaginations and ascertained himself as a top-notch middleman in local soccer. When he played for Hartlepool in Selebi-Phikwe, the future referee was once fined P500 for protesting at a match official's decision. He says the incident arose after a makeshift referee was chosen at random to officiate a game involving his team. The man let their opponents score three goals from seemingly offside positions and this incensed Bondo. "I confronted the referee and in turn he told me to take the whistle. The game was abandoned. The matter was reported to the league committee and I was fined P500," he says.
This was to be a defining moment in his life as he hung up his boots and took up the whistle in a bid to improve the standards of refereeing in the country. He says what had transpired during that game was unwarranted and made the spectators suffer because of inept refereeing. He believes match officials can spoil a game with questionable decisions. "I have always believed that for a good game of football, there should be a good referee," Bondo says. After retiring from playing in 2002, he immediately enrolled for a referee's course, through the influence of former Botswana Football Association Committee official Tshepo Mphoeng and Oratile Malapela, a Selebi-Phikwe referee. However, it was not smooth sailing at first and Bondo almost quit his newly chosen career. "It was not easy at first. I almost threw in the towel because of the pressure and the criticism that was being levelled against Phikwe referees," Bondo recalls. He felt that he had to soldier on and change the perception that Phikwe referees are biased.
