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BFA meet to decide on leaked audio

Probed: Mojaki is reportedly back at work PIC: KENNEDY RAMOKONE
Probed: Mojaki is reportedly back at work PIC: KENNEDY RAMOKONE

FRANCISTOWN: The Botswana Football Association (BFA) National Executive Committee (NEC) will meet on Tuesday to deliberate on the findings of a commission appointed to investigate a leaked cellphone conversation between the association’s employee, Monnakgotla Mojaki and referee, Joshua Bondo.

In the audio, there are suggestions of match-fixing, which prompted authorities, including the Ministry of Youth, Gender, Sport and Culture and the Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC) to urge the BFA to get to the bottom of the matter.

Mojaki works as general manager - football operations - at the Lekidi Football Centre and was suspended soon after the leak. The three-man commission submitted its findings to the BFA last week.

The BFA CEO Mfolo Mfolo said he is constrained to comment more about the investigation but confirmed next week's NEC meeting to review the findings. “The NEC is meeting on Tuesday next week to discuss the findings of the report submitted by the commission. The findings and decision of the NEC will be made public after the meeting.” The association has kept the names of individuals in the commission secret. It was only widely speculated that football administrator Leviet Ntwaagae led the committee which had respected lawyers Mboki Chilisa and Ernest Mmopi. Chilisa has since confirmed that he was part of the commission but Mmopi would not deny or confirm.

Mmopi referred Mmegi Sport to the association. Mfolo said the names of the commission would not under any circumstances be disclosed until the NEC deliberates on the report. Meanwhile, Mojaki has reportedly returned to work a few weeks after he was slapped with the suspension after his conversation with Bondo was widely circulated on various social media platforms. Bondo was also suspended from officiating matches pending the investigation. “I can neither confirm nor deny that Mojaki has returned to work.

Let us wait for the Tuesday NEC meeting,” a cagey Mfolo said. The leaked audio created a narrative that Mojaki wanted to influence Bondo to fix a Premier League match.

The BFA then suspended both Bondo and Mojaki and appointed a three-man team to investigate whether there are grounds to conclude that Mojaki has breached the BFA condition of service and workplace policies. Sources have told Mmegi Sport that the report has recommended that Mojaki should face disciplinary hearing. It is unclear as to what the recommendations say about Bondo.

Sources have further said that the findings have not recommended any form of action against Gaborone United financier, Nicholas Zakhem, who was implicated in the audio. In the audio, Mojaki created insinuations that he had been sent by Zakhem. But in a previous interview with Mmegi Sport, Zakhem expressed shock at the mention of his name in the leaked audio.

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