26 Aug 2025

The appointment of Mabua Mabua as Botswana Athletics Association (BAA) chief executive officer has been welcomed by some athletics enthusiasts and analysts, who have commended his contributions to development of Maun Track and Field Club and BDF Maun Club where he served as a mentor.

A native of Maun, Mabua is recognised as a trailblaser, having worked with organisations like Botswana Fibre Networks (BOFINET) Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority (BOCRA) and Civil Aviation Authority of Botswana (CAAB).  He also served as director, deputy permanent secretary, permanent secretary in the then Ministry of Transport and Communications.

Mabua is not stepping into crisis, but rather arriving as the right remedy for BAA at a time when athletics continues to bring glory to the nation. Who could forget Nijel Amos securing Botswana’s first ever Olympic medal with silver in the 800m at the 2012 London games, followed by 4x400m bronze in Tokyo and the golden boy Letsile Tebogo in Paris winning the first gold medal in 200 metres.

 In an interview, Mabua said that the CEO position to him was not a job, but a calling and a responsibility to transform athletics, the sport he called a great opportunity for young Batswana athletes to benefit wealth and wellness. Further, he said though he worked in various corporate world, he had always been involved in athletics, and therefore he was not entering a territory not familiar with, as he was bringing in relevant resume to BAA. 

“I have worked with clubs in Maun and after working for BOFINET, I told myself that I will pay attention to athletics,” he said.

With that in mind, Mabua said he saw it necessary to broaden his role and extend his efforts nationwide, allowing athletes from other regions to benefit from the same approach to athletics that had been successfully implemented in the northern part of the country.

 “One of the things you will see, as you attend the BAA competitions and being aware of challenges that athletes faces, is the interventions made to address athletes challenges,” he said. Mabua said there was a dire need to develop a girl child given that their participation was low. In that regard, he said there was a need to come up with programmes that would help attract more women into athletics. On courting sponsorships, Mabua said the intension was to package athletics and approach the corporate world to be associated with the code. On other issues, he said there was an urgent need to develop coaches, both for track and field’s events. “Our coaches attend their trainings in Zimbabwe, why can’t Botswana organise its coaching courses?” he asked rhetorically . ENDS