27 Jul 2020

Six women will contest for the countries’ football governing body positions, after the Botswana Football Association (BFA) electoral board gave them a nod.

Itsholeng Disang, Joy Setshedi, Lobito Ncube and Tsoseletso Magang would lock horns in the women representative position, while Kesego Okie and Theresa Hirshfeld would stand for the ordinary members slot.

This development, according to International Working Group (IWG) on Women and Sport executive board member, Game Mothibi, would be a first in the history of local football.

She said BFA positions had been dominated by men, but said 29 per cent of women standing for elections was way too low.

“But we are celebrating it because for the longest time, the environment in football was hostile to women. It is still, but it’s getting warmer and women are becoming bolder and fearless to face the hostility,” she said.

Mothibi, however, said the four candidates competing for women representative position would not all go into the office because they were standing against each other.

“Out of the six, we are definite that only two will go into the office. That is why for me I have always called for a strategy for women to communicate with one another their interest and a strategy is devised to have women standing for more positions and not against one another. What we see now won’t give us the needed results,” she said.

Mothibi further said what was also unfortunate was the fact that women were still going for women’s committee positions and additional member position.

She said as women in sport, they wanted more women to stand for presidency, vice presidency and all other decision making positions.

“It is one thing to stand for leadership position and is another to stand for leadership position with more decision making powers,” she said. Ends