Volleyball factions strike truce
Calistus Kolantsho | Saturday November 1, 2025 06:00
An interim committee was put in place, led by George Keotsene, and its mandate was to take volleyball to the next congress rather than call for elections with just a few months left to the end of the term. But now, the two factions have set aside their differences for the sake of the game. According to a statement co-signed by Magang and Keotsene, both parties felt that the period of disagreements has been a cause for concern. The statement indicates that through constructive and collaborative engagement with the Confederation of African Volleyball (CAVB) president, Boucha Haju, which included the executive committee and the head of CAVB legal team, an agreement was reached to resolve the matter. Over the weekend, Magang and Keotsene were invited for a meeting by CAVB in Cape Town, where the leadership impasse within BVF was resolved.
“As a pivotal first step in this renewed spirit of cooperation, the substantive BVF executive committee led by Magang will convene an Extraordinary Special General Meeting by November 30, 2025, to conduct elections of a new executive committee, which will take over the running of BVF,” the statement reads. Speaking to MmegiSport, Magang said she will not be contesting for re-election because she has always made it clear that she wanted to serve one term. For his part, Keotsene said the agreement is the best way to help volleyball to move forward, and it is the best deal for players and other stakeholders. When asked if he will be contesting, Keotsene said the focus at the moment is on walking together on the agreed path to ensure the process runs smoothly. “Such decisions I will make once time for nominations is announced and depending on the affiliate's appetite,” he said. Meanwhile, the two committees held different views regarding the motion of no confidence, which does not exist in the BVF constitution.
Following the procedural submission of a report to the Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC) by the interim committee, it emerged that the ousted committee also submitted its own report, which prompted the sport development director, Peaceful Seleka, to declare a dispute and advised both committees to meet and agree on the way forward for the sake of volleyball. Unfortunately, the two committees were unable to reach an agreement, and the matter was left hanging until the Cape Town resolution.