BOMU accuses Societies of fuelling non-compliance issue
Mompati Tlhankane | Sunday September 19, 2021 06:00
“These officers encourage people who condemn BOMU in public platforms,” Lesokwane told the media in a presser this week. Lesokwane said he has documents which show that officers from Societies gave wrong information to the Minister of Nationality, Immigration and Gender Affairs, Annah Mokgethi. “They gave the minister information that BOMU has not been compliant since 2004. BOMU is compliant and I have availed the document which dates back to 1998.
However, some documents were rejected because in 2017 I was one of the people who critisised the BOMU executive at the time,” he said. In June, Mokgethi gave BOMU a six-months waiver after the union was found to have failed to comply with the Societies Act. In a letter dated June 4, 2021 addressed to the BOMU president, Mokgethi said contrary to its (BOMU’s) assertion that it is in compliance with the Societies Act, BOMU failed to submit its annual returns between 2005 and 2014. BOMU later denied that it is not in compliance and faces de-registration, but Mokgethi’s letter accused BOMU of failing to comply with Section 16 read together with Regulation 8 of the Societies Act, which provides for information to be furnished by societies. BOMU was said to have also failed to respond to the Registrar's reminder issued in March 2021.
BOMU, through its spokesperson Joel Keitumele, maintained that the organisation never failed to submit its annual returns from 1998. Keitumele explained that on June 9, 2021, BOMU executive committee submitted all the documents (from 1998 to 2021) requested by the minister. The documents included annual returns, minutes affidavits and statements, which laid to rest the organisation compliance issues with the Societies Act. In this week’s press briefing,. Lesokwane said it is hurting to find out that their stakeholders are also on the line in this issue of non-compliance. “We expected some private entities to come on board and support us with these year’s awards but a lot of sponsors retreated because of the bad publicity,” he said.
Lesokwane said Eddie Monthe, otherwise known as Senyonfere in the music industry has been running around circulating misleading and untruthful information against the organisation. Lesokwane also blamed some sections of the media for fueling tensions within the music industry. “It’s like some journalists like to see us in trouble. We are depending on you to help us build the music industry,” he said. Lesokwane said the articles they come across in the media speak negatively about their members. He said the media is their stakeholders therefore they can both build the industry together.