12 Oct 2022

 Botswana Karate Association (BOKA) interim executive committee has resolved to suspend former karate president, Sensei Tshepo Bathai, from all BOKA activities following an inquiry on embezzlement of funds and maladministration.

The interim committee alleged in a letter addressed to Sensei Bathai on Tuesday that he knowingly submitted an invoice to Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC) officials to pay for Lobatse Sports Festival medals to a tune of P20 509 and P1 800 branding of medals.

“We have in good record that the Lobatse festival was not supposed to have been funded from government coffers. As per the invoice, a payment of P7 562 was made by BNSC upon your request. This was in payment of a personal event you hosted under the pretext that it was a national association retreat,” read the letter from BOKA interim committee secretary general, Othusitse Dick.

The letter alleges that Bathai provided false information to the Registrar of Societies to accept and approve BOKA constitution dated August 30, 2022.

It says Bathai did not handover BOKA office gadgets and BOKA purchase order together with other documents following a request to do so in a letter dated September 29, 2022.

“We view these acts tantamount to corruption and gross maladministration, we therefore wish to inform you that we will be handing this matter to the DCEC and Botswana police for further investigations” it stated.

Meanwhile, the Bathai-led executive committee has written to the BNSC chief executive officer denouncing the existence of the interim, which it says is unconstitutional.

A letter addressed to the BNSC chief by the committee’s secretary general Karabo Samuel says ‘BOKA executive committee learnt with shock that on the weekend of Saturday 

September 24, some affiliates organised a coup d’état in an unconstitutionally constituted forum”.

According to the letter, the meeting convened to elect an interim committee was unconstitutional and that any resolutions therefrom were of no force or effect.

“The BOKA executive committee wishes to put it on record that it is quite aware of the displeasures raised by some member federations and that it takes these concerns with utmost seriousness.

To address these issues, the executive committee has called an ordinary general meeting to which the BNSC and Botswana National Olympic Committee (BNOC) have been invited on observer basis. During the OGM, the members shall also elect the new president following the long announced stepping down of the current president who is currently serving notice,” reads the letter.

Pressed for comment Sensei Bathai said his committee had served the Registrar of Societies with a notification of intrusion by the purported interim committee.

He said his committee shall remain the legal BOKA executive committee pending a verdict by the registrar. The verdict shall then determine their next course of action.

He said the interim committee had failed to send a copy of the minutes, resolutions and the attendance register of the special general meeting, hence his desire not to acknowledge the invite to the handover.

For his part, BOKA interim committee president, Shihan Mpho Bakwadi, said the interim committee had notified BNSC of a resolution to set up such as committee following a resolution at a special general meeting. He said they had also requested BNSC not to facilitate any request from the ousted committee.

Shihan Bakwadi was summoned to the provisional office last month in a special general meeting following concerns raised by member affiliates about the executive committee holding office. The general membership allegedly raised concern about Bathai’s administration with the centre of the rot being maladministration and lack of accountability.

Bathai’s tenure reportedly ended unceremoniously as he was voted out of office with his entire executive committee in a motion of no confidence decision. The decision was made in the absence of the former committee members.

Karate in the past had been rocked by internal feuds which called for the establishment of a commission of inquiry by the BNSC.

The findings of the commission were presented to the then sport minister Thapelo Olopeng who dissolved the executive committee and set up an interim committee led by Sensei David Mathe.

Sensei Mathe was ushered into office after fresh elections. ENDS