BFA hot seat draws attention
… as familiar names crop up from across different industries
FOOTBALL
In the quest to find a suitable replacement for the former Botswana Football Association ( BFA) Chief Executive Officer ( CEO), Mfolo Mfolo, a number of familiar names have been thrown into the hat but the search is seemingly narrowing down to the strongest candidates.
Sports Industry sources close to the matter this week indicated that the BFA has, over the past month, reached out to a few industry veterans who have years of experience of operating in the field of sport. In a rather shocking twist of events, one possible candidate likely to land on the hot seat is none other than former Botswana National Sport Commission ( BNSC) Chairman, Solomon Reikeletseng.
Insiders at Lekidi football centre have since mentioned that for the leadership role, the BFA big wings want an executive who is more than experienced to handle both operational and financial affairs at the association as it is said to be key for the association to reach corporate governance level.
Reikeletseng has been at the helm of BNSC board for eight years, but unceremoniously vacated his plump position back in 2019 when he said he did not want personal issues to affect the running of the BNSC.
In the eight years he spent at the helm of Sports in Botswana, Reikeletseng has seen Botswana achieve its first medal at the Olympics. Botswana ranked amongst the best in most of the sporting codes and the world had descended into country as Botswana hosted them for regional, continental and world events.
In its quest to reach the most desirable financial growth, the BFA also has an opportunity to engage
Marang Marakaladi for the position of CEO. Marakaladi has a vast experience in the banking industry, having worked for Barclays Bank and Standard Chartered Bank and she holds an MBA focused on Human Resources from North West University in South Africa.
Marakaladi’s presence will mean that the BFA has made a good catch especially in the field of corporate governance. Her experience in the banking world will mean more transparency and more accountability at the local football govern
ing body.
Another strong candidate for the top seat is the proven and well respected business executive Billy Sekgororoane who needs no introduction in the local corporate world.
The former Multichoice Botswana General Manager is reported to have a realistic chance of landing the notoriously difficult job. Moreover, Sekgororoane has never been shy to show his interest in top positions at Lekidi as he once had his name among presidential candidates back in 2016 before later dropping out of the presidential race.
Another surprise entry into the race is Tiro Kganela also on the list of the individuals that the BFA would like to secure. Kganela is the former Private Secretary to the Assistant Minister of Youth Empowerment and Sport Culture Development, Dikgang Makgalemele. Kganela's career spans different industries including Botswana Television ( BTV), BCL mine, Botswana Meat Commission ( BMC), Botswana Telecommunications Corporation ( BTC) and BOCONGO. In an interview this week, acting CEO at BFA, Thabiso Kebotsamang said the recruitment process is still ongoing and they cannot divulge who the CEO would be at the moment. “We will engage the media when the time is right as we cannot tell when the announcement will come since the process is still ongoing.”