BNSC suspends senior official
The Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC) has suspended two of its employees, including a senior manager, pending investigations into possible corrupt practices.
Finance manager, Leonard Mogomotsi and Kabo Magola, an electrician with the Commission’s department of lands and facilities, were recently suspended on charges yet to be known.
BNSC acting chief executive officer, Tuelo Serufho confirmed the suspensions but refused to divulge reasons as he said the matter was under investigation. Sources said the BNSC was investigating alleged corrupt practices, which include awarding tenders to employees’ companies and receiving kickbacks.
“They are not the only ones involved in the investigation.
The BNSC is investigating a rot, which has seen the Commission lose a lot of money through gaps in the tendering process.
If I am to tell you, there was a problem with one of the floodlights at Lobatse stadium and it was established that the problem was a cable and it needed to be replaced.
Instead of replacing the cable, the fault was covered up with a tape but an amount of around P150,000 had been paid to some company with claims the cable was replaced,” a source revealed. There is concern that the rot at the BNSC has been going on for a long time, with the 2018 Region 5 Youth Games Gaborone 2018 audit report not yet released. The source said a lot of money and equipment disappeared, including cameras used for accreditation and laptops.
The source said the investigations could focus on the refurbishment of the Athletes Village and the upcoming tender for the installation of the new turf at the Molepolole Sports Complex.
The move to probe the alleged rot has been welcomed, with sources noting, the new leadership is keen to start on a clean slate.