22 Apr 2021

Botswana Softball Association (BSA) will hold its general elective assembly in Gaborone tomorrow.

According to the nomination list, Katlholo Mosimanegape will be unopposed for the president position.

Mosimanegape once occupied the vice presidency position for two consecutive terms from 2012  to 2018. He was defeated for the presidency position by Citizen Entrepreneurship Development Agency (CEDA) chief executive officer, Thabo Thamane in the last elections.

In his manifesto he has vowed to take softball to greater heights by providing inspiring leadership. He also promises honesty, integrity, accountability, transparency, teamwork and good governance.

He said he would execute his roadmap in partnership with all softball stakeholders, and that he would harness all that was provided by Botswana National Sport Commission and Botswana National Olympic Committee programmes.

Mosimanegape also said he would assemble a team of previous leaders to assist with leadership and the development of softball.

There were no nominations submitted for the posts of vice president and public relations and marketing officer. However, BSA secretary, Anastacia Makwa said the constitution allowed the general membership to nominate from the floor during the assembly to fill the vacant posts.

A fierce battle is expected for the post of secretary where Same Molete faces Nozibonela Payet. Both women are capable of taking the game to greater heights.

Bobby Khupe, Kenneth Kopano and Monkgogi Thakgathi will battle it out for the position of technical development officer while Abel Mataboge and Puso Kgosietsile will stand unopposed for the competitions organiser and treasurer positions respectively.

Sunday Standard sports editor, Botlhale Koothopile said he had noticed that none of the past executive committee members was standing. He said it was unusual as it never happened before.

“But for those who closely follow softball this development will not be surprising,” he said.

Koothopile said ever since the current committee took over there had been unending conflicts from the trip to the World Cup in Japan when athletes complained of not being well taken care of.

He said relations deteriorated further when the committee faced countless challenges and accusations, and that some committee members resigned.

He said accusations of lack of transparency on the use of funds and lack of accountability also surfaced.

Koothopile said there were also allegations of bad blood between BSA and its main league sponsor, Bofinet.

“All these challenges as well as accusations, the truthfulness of which is yet to be established may have contributed to the entire current NEC not standing for re-election,” he said.

He, however, said all was not lost as softball still had Bofinet, and that they would not struggle to get  sponsors as it was with other sporting codes. ENDS