Karate slapped with suspended sentence
Calistus Kolantsho | Monday September 11, 2023 16:00
BOKA has been given a warning for 12 months despite the consistent indiscipline that the code has displayed in a short space of time. “Now therefore, regard to the offence committed, the seriousness thereof and the mitigating factors placed before the Disciplinary Committee, BOKA is warned and cautioned not to repeat the same and/or similar offence within 12 months. This sentence is in the spirit of section 30 (1) (f) of the BNSC Act ,” says disciplinary committee chairperson, Dr. Rrenyane Dikole when passing his sentence last week.
According to the judgment, BOKA failed and neglected to adequately plan for trip to the Karate Commonwealth Championships in Birmingham, England and that as a result, athletes were stranded in Johannesburg, South Africa for some time. BOKA pleaded guilty to the charge. The association was charged with professional misconduct, in this matter the question that was interrogated was whether BOKA failed to meet the standards of practice as expected as a national association. In mitigation, BOKA admitted its culpability in poor management and planning for the trip to Birmingham.
BOKA acknowledged its inexperience in securing visa for their athletes which led to athletes being stranded in Johannesburg. A document says BOKA in its mitigation, not only demonstrated that they learnt their lesson. “It was clear that BOKA’s mitigation was not a face value pleading meant to carry favor with the disciplinary committee but rather heartfelt and genuine. It is worth noting that during the course of this matter BOKA conducted disciplinary proceedings of its own aimed at remedying their own administrative shortcoming,” Dikole said in his judgment.
Speaking on the gravity of the offence, Dikole said BOKA failed to make adequate preparations for a competition trip to Birmingham. He added that by BOKA’s was inexperienced in so far as air tickets purchasing and visa logistics were concerned. Dikole said BOKA operate at an international level and as such their conduct and administrative process must be subject to international standards. The judgment comes a few days as BOKA gears for its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Saturday. Fireworks are expected to fly as BOKA affiliates already have motions in place including calling for the firing of the president.