Karate official’s disciplinary hearing postponed
Calistus Kolantsho | Saturday August 5, 2023 06:00
Tshepang is accused of failure to carry out a reasonable instruction during a trip to the AUSC Region 5 Karate Championships held in Zimbabwe in June. BOKA disciplinary hearing committee chairperson, Phillip Setiko in a letter to Tshepang said the hearing is meant to address concerns related to the official’s conduct and potential violations of the rules and regulations set forth by the association.
“The statement of the offence is that on or about May 15, 2023, it is alleged that you appointed yourself as manager to the Botswana National Olympic Committee (BNOC) Beach Games without authority for which you were given a verbal warning. On June 9, 2023, during the AUSC Region 5 Karate Championships in Harare, Zimbabwe, it is alleged that you willingly and blatantly disobeyed a direct and reasonable instruction to hand over funds to pay for athletes' accommodation as instructed by BOKA president,” Setiko said through a letter.
Speaking to Mmegi Sport, Tshepang said he learnt about the postponement through an unofficial text when he was already at the venue for the hearing. “I have not yet received official communication on the postponement.
The 21 days BOKA leadership had committed long elapsed as of July 4, 2023. I did not resume my office duties because I did not want to sound desperate for a voluntary office. I also did not want to sound like the biggest loser. I want to make sure that justice prevails,” he said. Tshepang was suspended for 21 days in June after the Region 5 Karate Championships trip.
Through a suspension letter dated June 13, 2023, BOKA president, Mpho Bakwadi accused Tshepang of refusing to obey direct instructions from the BOKA president on June 9 during the Region 5 tournament in Zimbabwe. “Your behaviour is tantamount to insubordination. After careful consideration, your behaviour constitutes a serious breach of the association’s policies and professional conduct. "As a result, you are suspended with immediate effect pending a disciplinary hearing,” the letter reads. Bakwadi said it was not the first instance of insubordination, as on or about May 15, Tshepang had appointed himself as Africa Beach Games team manager. “You were given a verbal warning.
You refused to hand over funds to pay for athletes’ accommodation,” Bakwadi added. “I was suspended because I refused to give them (Bakwadi brothers) a tender to transport the team to Zimbabwe. I opted for a bus and a 14-seater combi worth P36,000. They wanted a bus that was going to cost BOKA more than P40,000 even though our budget was small. I also refused to release funds in the absence of a BNSC officer,” Tshepang said. He pointed out that even if Bakwadi can appoint BOKA commissions, he is out of time, he still needs to wait for the General Assembly to elect the Appeals Board.
“For now these are just mind games and a waste of time. Bakwadi does not have a code of conduct or disciplinary policy which means there is no document guiding him,” Tshepang said. He said in his two letters, Bakwadi overemphasised his power to discipline but not citing specific provisions that the secretary-general acted against or went contrary to.