BADMINTON SECRETARY GENERAL SUSPENDED
BOTSWANA Badminton Association (BBA) has suspended its Secretary General, Thobo Bogatsu, from his duties for a period of 30 days.
The SG is being blamed for his failure to secure a release letter for the national team coach, which saw the team competing at the February All Africa Senior Championships held in South Africa without a head coach.
The national team in the process lost all its matches 5-0 to Mauritius and Reunion respectively.
According to a letter seen by this publication, Bogatsu was given a warning last year after he once again failed to secure release letters for technical officials ahead of the Botswana International Tournament.
“We consider this case the most embarrassing of them all and it has had a negative impact on the credibility of the association, leaving the general public in dismay about the failure. As an association, we take this case very seriously because the magnitude of it has not only affected the performance of Team Botswana at the tournament nor only has it negatively affected the image and reputation of the association but the nation at large,” reads part of the letter.
The letter further notes that Bogatsu has failed to furnish the executive committee with letters he wrote or communication made requesting the release of the coach, including the response he received. As a result, BBA is of the view that these are actions of gross negligence hence the suspension.
Reached for comment, Bogatsu challenged the validity of his suspension and vowed to continue executing his SG duties.
“Constitutionally, for a suspension to be valid, it does need a resolution and signatures from the executive, so the president acted alone,” fired Bogatsu.
In a brief interview with Voice Sport, BBA President, Moses Macheke, confirmed the suspension.
“Acceptance of wrongdoing is usually a difficult thing to do in employment or a voluntary relationship, so I wouldn’t know how much he has accepted the suspension. We are being guided by our constitution and internal policies, in particular the code of conduct, which shall guide us on the next possible step. So, we can’t determine what’s next now before the inquiry takes place. Remember, the rule of natural justice has to always apply for fairness purposes,” said Macheke.