Long-serving Robert bows out
Calistus Kolantsho | Monday January 19, 2026 06:00
MmegiSport understands that Marea Modutlwa and Ookeditse Lekang, who have both served under Robert, have raised their hands to replace him.
The two candidates are members of the Gaborone Bowls Club.
Lekang is a former BBA vice president, whilst Modutlwa is the current vice president. Elections will be held during the BBA meeting at the Gaborone Bowls Club in February.
Robert confirmed to MmegiSport that he will step down from his role next month.
'I cannot stay forever as a leader. Marea and Ookeditse have shown interest in the position, and I believe any of them can take over as they have held different roles within the BBA,' he said.
Meanwhile, Modutlwa revealed that the BBA is pushing for elevation to the Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC) tier one funding group. The association is currently in tier two.
Modutlwa added they have been working on the progression for years now, and they will keep pushing. She said they are focusing on some strategic initiatives that will catapult them to join the top tier.
“The BNSC recently updated their strategic plan, and it will be soon be cascaded to the National Sport Associations (NSAs). We are also going to update our strategic plan and align it to the BNSC plan, so that we have a five-year plan. To make sure that we deliver on our strategic initiatives,” Modutlwa said.
As part of this year's activities, the BBA will launch the Fallen Heroes Mixed Trips tournament in Jwaneng on January 24 and 25.
Modutlwa said the tournament is meant to honour the departed lawn bowlers such as Gaborutwe, Ray Mascarenhas, Tim Morton, Tony Allen, amongst others. In 2025, the association revitalised lawn bowls with talent identification and development through the Re Ba Bona Ha programme (RBBH), while also offering exposure to high-level competitions across borders.
Jwaneng bowls is the Centre of Excellence for RBBH. For the first time ever, Botswana participated in the Bowls South Africa Junior National Championships.
“That was a significant milestone; it underscores our commitment to developing lawn bowls across various age groups,” Modutlwa said.
“We entered two teams into the Under 1 and Under 25 Championships, which were hosted in April 2025. Peo Ramodise (Gaborone Bowls Club) and Kaone Maroku (Orapa Bowls Club) were crowned the Under 25 singles champions at the 2025 Botswana National Youth Championships, with Jordan Davids and Thabile Koerotse lifting the Under 18 boys and Under 18 girls trophies respectively.” Edwin Nyoka Junior and Ramodise grabbed the national title, with Nyoka becoming the youngest ever club and national singles champion whilst Ramodise dominated the 2025 Masters Tournament. Modutlwa said by virtue of winning national titles, Nyoka Junior and Ramodise booked themselves tickets to represent Botswana at the World Bowls Champion of Championships in Australia and the World Bowls Junior Indoor Championships. “Despite our achievements, there are some challenges; the lack of an indoor bowls arena is a major obstacle to the growth of the sport and player performance.
“We have not yet benefited from the BNSC Elite Scholarship nor the Zebra Athlete Fund. Sponsorship challenges and heavy reliance on the BNSC grant, the association failed to send a junior team to the World Championships due to funding constraints,” she said.