PASSOBO Meeting Fails To Proceed Over Quorum
Calistus Kolantsho | Monday October 25, 2021 16:00
Out of the six PASSOBO affiliates, only three attended the OGM. PASSOBO president, Titus Letshwiti told the meeting that they could not proceed since they were not forming a quorum. “The Constitution is clear that we could only proceed if we are at least three quarters. On the other hand, if we proceed, we would be acting against the guidelines of the Registrar of Societies (ROS) and risk being struck from the roll,” he said.
Letshwiti also said there was nothing that could be done but to set an Extra Ordinary Meeting that should be held in the next 21 days. “The term of office for the current executive committee ended in March 2021 and today’s meeting was meant to give us direction on the way forward. When our term came to an end, it was during State of Emergency and sport was suspended.
Now the ban has been lifted, we should vote another committee into office,” he said. Letshwiti said they will be moving with the current agenda into the next meeting and if there is no quorum again, then the Constitution allows the meeting to proceed. Meanwhile, PASSOBO public relations officer, Thuso Rasetapa is running for the position of secretary-general in the African Paralympic Committee (APC). The elections are scheduled for the coming weekend during the general assembly slated for Morocco. Rasetapa is the founding president of PASSOBO, the then Botswana National Paralympic Committee (BNPC). He has been the secretary-general for the Botswana Federation for Disabled since 2016. He is also a member of the technical team in the disability office in The Office of the President (OP).
The Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC) has endorsed Rasetapa. Speaking to Sport Monitor, Rasetapa said it has always been his intention to represent people with disabilities in different areas including politics or even coordinating in the office for people with disabilities at OP. “Since I became an advocate for people with disabilities, I developed leadership interests. I have been in Paralympic sport for 20 years. In 2012 when we elected the outgoing APC excutive committee, when names were submitted, I had interest but had to pull out because Botswana had not signed the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Botswana by then.” he said.
Rasetapa said he could not mingle with other countries when his country was lagging behind. Botswana signed The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Botswana in August 2021. “Now that the convention has been signed, I felt that this is my time to represent my country and Southern Africa,” Rasetapa said.