Suspended members sent from pillar to post
Suspended members of the Debswana First Division North (FDN) committee remain on the sidelines as their issue with the Botswana Football Association (BFA) continues to move in circles.
The disgruntled members, who have lost almost two years of their time after being voted into office, accuse the mother body of delaying justice.
Suspended chairperson, Mpenzeni Sambandawe told Mmegi Sport this week that they continue to be sent from pillar to post over the matter, which he said should have long been dealt with.
The committee members had approached the BFA Disciplinary Committee (DC) demanding that their suspension be lifted since the association has failed to call them for a hearing for two years.
They were suspended on allegations of misappropriation of funds, a charge they deny.
Realising that the association was not making any significant effort to charge them and call them for a hearing, they sort the intervention of the DC.
The DC in turn acceded to their demand and ordered that they be reinstated with immediate effect. However, the BFA appealed the decision and succeeded on the basis that the DC chairperson presided and ruled over the matter alone instead of a fully constituted DC.
The appeals committee also ordered that the matter be sent back to a fully constituted DC to deal with.
However, Sambandawe said no progress has been made on the matter and blames the delay on the mother body. He said the association continues to apply delaying tactics, which in turn frustrate their efforts of returning to their positions.
The FDN has been running under an interim committee since 2018.
“The delay is solely on their (association) side. We have always said that this might be a ploy to deny us the opportunity to serve in the committee, which we have been constitutionally voted into.
We have also believed that this is meant to deny us the chance to be part of the general assembly,” he said.
Sambandawe, however, said they believe that eventually this matter would be dealt with before the delayed general assembly.
“The association has to deal with this matter before the current National Executive Committee (NEC) is dissolved at the general assembly. The general assembly has to make a conclusion to all the issues that are pending, so we are hopeful that despite the delay, the issue will be concluded,” he said.