27 Jul 2025

 The newly elected Botswana Chess Federation (BCF) executive committee is eager to get started and elevate the sport to new levels.

Speaking after elections held during an Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Palapye on Saturday, the incoming BCF president, Kutlwano Tatolo emphasised that the committee was raring to go and inject fresh ideas into the federation. However, she was quick to emphasise that the federation was in need of funds for it to effectively and efficiently discharge its mandate and realise its goals.

Without funding, she said BCF would not be able to engage its members and offer them an opportunity to gain international exposure to improve rankings. Currently, Tatolo said has BCF had 29 registered chess clubs, but only a handful were participated in the AGM and was hoping to resuscitate them and increase their participation in future. 

She said given that school chess was still struggling and lagging behind, their hope was for the chess clubs to be fully active and rescue the situation. Tatolo said team work would take her committee forward. She was hoping that after engaging with her team, a strategy and mapping a way forward would be their priority.

For his Part, Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC) development officer-technical, Peloewetse Nfana said the AGM was a success and hoped the incoming committee would lift up chess. Nfana said the main objective of the new committee was to focus on development. He said young players must be given the golden opportunity to grow, have coaches that were dedicated to grassroots development to nurture talent.

Nfana urged the new BCF committee members to be accountable, fully execute their mandate for the sake of developing chess in the country. Even though eager for the sporting code to qualify players for elite competitions on the international arena, Nfana admitted that budgetary constraints impeded progress but urged the federation to do more to rescue the situation as over reliance on government support was not enough. He urged the federation to forge strategic partnerships that would help build their financial muscle to enable them to send their athletes to elite tournaments.

Outgoing BCF president, Mooketsi Segaise said the end of his committee four-year term spanning 2021-2025 did not mean that they should not support the growth of sport in the country. He thus pledged support for the review of the federation’s constitution and to assist to the best of his capabilities where he could and when the need arised. Segaise said individuals would always come and go but the organisation would remain, thus urging all stakeholders to practice subordination of self-interest to organisation interest.

 The new executive committee if made up of Tatolo as BCF president, Thabo Gumpo (vice president- technical), Oabona Keabofe (vice president-administration), Kgalalelo Botlhole (secretary general),Kebalepile Francis (treasurer), Goitsemodimo Makgatle (public relations director) and Dolly Thapelo (development director). ENDS