When a bird sits on a tree branch for too long...

Mqondisi Dube | Tuesday September 27, 2022 11:51

However, he was not leaving with immediate effect. He still wanted to enjoy a few more months of muscle flexing. He needed time to continue basking in the power glory.

There is no nicer feeling than being in control. You can posthumously ask the likes of Idi Amin and Robert Mugabe. They enjoyed unlimited power and were stuck to their seats like glue. But as fate would have it, their removal from power was brutal.

Despite cases of the fall from grace of some of the most powerful leaders, there are still insufficient lessons drawn by their predecessors. When Bathai made a decision to leave the seat, his and committees’ reputation was fairly intact, although rumblings were already simmering. He had made a good calculated move to quit, but somehow missed the step when he indicated he would stay longer.

It came across as a half-hearted attempt to leave office. I have always argued that sports leaders will never tell us the full story on why they want to rule forever. They go on about how much sacrifice they make in order to grow sport; volunteering their time and resources. However, when asked to leave office so that the burden of using their time and resources is taken away, they flatly refuse.

Some even go to the extent of going to court, using their personal money to pay for legal costs to challenge their removal from office. They literally fight tooth and nail to remain in office. Who would want to leave the perks that come with being a sports leader? Most fly first class and lick ice cream while airborne as they cross the Sahara desert on their way to attending international meetings.

They get sitting allowances and visit countries that they only interacted with during their geography classes. So their desire to cling to posts by hook or crook is understandable. Power is nice, it’s that simple; it has an irresistible taste. Sports leaders, like politicians, cannot resist the trappings of power. Bathai, unfortunately fell to the urge to stay one second longer. But below the branch where Bathai was sitting, the catapult was being prepared and on Saturday, BOKA affiliates pulled the trigger.

The stone hit the entire BOKA executive, which came down crashing. They had sat on the tree branch for too long and inevitably invited the stone. But why soil your reputation, when the option to walk away with your credibility intact was available? Bathai and his committee have been pushed out, denting their image in the eyes of the public.

Why wait to be pushed, when the option to jump is available. The BOKA committee is reportedly preparing to fight back. But they are fighting a losing battle as the coup d’état was perfectly executed with all six BOKA affiliates’ in unison. Even if the committee may argue the procedure was illegal, the message is clear; the committee is unwanted.

Karate is a game of kicks and this is an unambiguous kick below the belt that Bathai and his committee should take and walk away. This is not just about the karate committee, but it’s a disease prevalent across codes. Karate affiliates have shown their comrades in other sports codes the amount of power they wield to stone that bird that sits far too long (and recklessly) on a tree branch.