Disgruntled BFL shareholders took their grievances to the Minister of Youth, Gender, Sport and Culture, Tumiso Rakgare, complaining about Zakhem’s conduct. In turn, the minister reportedly ordered the Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC) to address the dispute by next week Tuesday.
The shareholders told the minister, Zakhem was not cooperating with them particularly regarding the co-opting of board members following the recent resignation of some club officials. A source who attended the meeting said the minister directed the issue to the BNSC and that there should be an answer from the umbrella body by Tuesday.
The BNSC chief executive officer, Tuelo Serufho, said he was not at this office yesterday and referred questions to board chairperson, Marumo Morule, who had not responded to MmegiSport inquiries at press time. This week, the shareholders locked the BFL offices and sent employees on leave, although they said the running of the league will be unaffected.
“There is no (BFL) board at the moment so we need to co-opt. We cannot have a chairperson without the board. For Zakhem to function as a chairperson, he must have a fully operational board,” the shareholder said. After the BFL CEO, Senzo Mbatha’s contract expired last week, the official said currently there is no one in charge of the secretariat. Mbatha’s departure caused a rift between the shareholders and Zakhem. Some shareholders want Mbatha to stay, but Zakhem wrote a press statement on Monday indicating the South African is leaving.
Zakhem said he has nothing to do with Mbatha’s departure as the CEO and had failed to indicate if the BFL should exercise an option of renewal. Earlier this week, Zakhem said the BFL did not have money and that Mbatha’s departure was due to financial reasons, and that he was on a restricted contract.
As the dispute simmers, clubs want to march from Lekidi to hand a petition to Zakhem and board member, Jagdish Shah. “Our message is that Zakhem should cooperate. We need to constitute the board and want resolutions from last week’s BFA NEC implemented,” one of the shareholders said.
On the planned demonstration, Zakhem wondered what the action will achieve. “My advice to them is that there are better ways to deal with this. What do they want to achieve? You cannot remove someone unlawfully. Lawfully, yes. I am a shareholder in good standing,” Zakhem said. He said it was unfortunate that football is suffering while some people engage in unlawful actions. "I am the chairperson of the board and I am not there by coincidence. The High Court has pronounced that. We should do everything according to the law and according to the constitution.
There is a way of putting forward grievances,” Zakhem said. “Power has to be properly acquired. Power cannot be generated through confusion. If you do not like me personality, tough luck,” he added. Asked if they will intervene in the unfolding saga, the BFA CEO, Mfolo Mfolo, said the mother body will deliberate on the matter. "I will rather say the NEC will holistically deliberate on the matter and there will be a proper response," Mfolo said.
