22 May 2016

Botswana Karate Association (BOKA) vice president-technical, Shihan Mpho Bakwadi has explained that the appointment of the current national team head coaches was in a way the execution of the karate body’s mandate to develop talent.

Bakwadi was making this revelation at a BOKA ordinary general meeting after some fretful voices in the karate fraternity were of the view that the only World Karate Federation (WKF) certified coach sensei George Tshikare was snubbed of the post in favour of the less qualified sensei Peter Molefhe. 

Bakwadi explained that an opportunity that has been offered to sensei Molefhe and sensei Goitseone Mongologa for the junior team was in a way giving them an opportunity to have the WKF qualification.

Molefhe is assisted by another veteran karateka sensei Otto Tafa while Mongologa has been tasked to take care of the junior team assisted by Keone Kgorotlhe. 

The appointments of the coaches were made by the BOKA executive committee ahead of this week’s closely contested Zone VI tournament in Harare, Zimbabwe.

During the meeting Botswana Kofukan Federation chief instructor sensei Million Masumbika asked Bakwadi to refute recent media allegations that coaches were rejecting the junior teams appointments due to paltry incentives. 

However, Bakwadi said their interest was on empowering and developing coaches. Former BOKA VP technical sensei, Christopher Ponatshego asked the executive committee if the interest of recruiting coaches was based on developing them or the quality that the bring to the sport. 

For his part, former BOKA president sensei, Tshepo Bathai said the association was bedeviled by structural problems. 

On the technical field, Bathai said the appointment of national head coaches was not a development programme, but those given the responsibility must be seen to be a complete product and not to be tried and tested. 

He said during his time as a national team player, the current coach Molefhe was his coach and he was surprised that he is still being considered as a development project. 

Meanwhile, Bakwadi told the meeting that the association was still to develop a programme for the local elite scholarship athletes and that they were yet to sit and model a programme for the Re ba bona Ha project.

Masumbika had also tabled a motion requesting the membership to allow qualification to the BOKA technical committee to be at least third Dan black belt and above. 

The general members agreed to the proposal and some who opposed explained that the proposed entry level was going to restrict some karate styles due to limited manpower. 

The meeting also adopted another motion by Masumbika which called for the entry level to the Referees commission to be a zonal qualification. ENDS