Volleyball affiliates press BVF for a meeting
Calistus Kolantsho | Friday August 22, 2025 15:05
The affiliates have submitted a report to the BVF titled ‘Concerns Regarding BVF Operations and Governance’, which provides observations regarding governance, financial transparency, communication breakdown, lack of proper planning, and operational inconsistency. The clubs argue that all the issues hinder both grassroots development and the sport’s national standing. “The report also includes specific questions that we believe require immediate attention from the federation’s leadership, as well as recommendations on interventions that are required to resolve some of the issues raised. The report is made in the spirit of transparency, collaboration, progress, and collective desire to see the federation being accountable and operating in a manner that is inclusive and aligned with national and international standards,” the affiliates said in the report.
The affiliates believe that through open dialogue, constructive feedback, and collaborative decision-making, a robust, inclusive and future-focused volleyball ecosystem can be built. BVF vice president Ndibo Lebala told MmegiSport that he received the document last week from Ruth Mbangwa of MagStimela volleyball club. He said the affiliates are raising a lot of issues and they suggested that the meeting should be held within 14 days. Lebala noted some of the concerns raised were that BVF had failed to send referee Tiro Setlhare to officiate at an international tournament, adding that the trip came at a time when the federation's coffers were dry, meaning they could not afford to pay for the visa. “By then, we were running a Level Two Coaching course. We also failed to send the Beach Volleyball team to the 2025 Africa Beach Volleyball Championship. Remember that Beach Volleyball is our go-to sport, which should keep surviving in international competitions. The affiliates are also complaining that we moved games from indoor to outdoor without informing them. But we had informed them in a meeting like the one we are going to. Our grant will not be enough to cover the costs of indoor, which means we should play cost-effectively,” Lebala said. He said this is the reason games are played at SSKB courts, adding that lesser clubs such as Itekeng and Desert Kings have less travel, whilst northern clubs play in Serowe.
He said the challenge is that some of the affiliates do not attend meetings. “There was a bit of a mix-up during the league award ceremony; some clubs, such as MagStimela, were not invited to the event. It is also true that we were slow in the resolution of conflicts of player transfers, but they were (ultimately) resolved,” Lebala said. He explained that when the report was delivered, BVF was already planning to host the extraordinary congress. “Our extraordinary congress is always bouncing, for about two years, but this year it is coming a bit late because we have changed our calendar of events, from January to December to an April to March calendar. The calendar was extended by the league, which went beyond the planned period. That led to the delay of kicking off our activities. League funding negotiations by the government have also taken (a) long (time) because we do not have a sponsor. When we call a congress, it kicks off our activities. We have written to clubs inviting them to a congress on August 30,” he said.
Lebala said in the letter that they have requested affiliates to close compliance issues as previously communicated. He said the most important thing is for affiliates to have paid their affiliation fees, should have presented evidence of existence, which is proof of registration with Registrar of Societies and Registrar of Companies, and should have submitted a list of players for the 2025–2026 playing season.