BNSC needs to fill CEO position asap

Thuso Palai | Thursday March 19, 2015 18:28

The time is now for appointment of a substantive CEO. We cannot afford to go on much longer without a substantive CEO at the BNSC. In fact it has taken rather too long. The gap cannot be good for the organisation and sport as a whole. Yes; there is an Acting appointment but chances are that he is restricted in terms of doing and implementing some of his ideas.

First things first: naturally an acting appointment in any position would have an edge over competitors for the post.  However it seems like the acting appointment in Thato Kgosimore has not ticked all the boxes, or else he would be the natural choice.  For me Kgosimore has gone about his job satisfactorily. He hasn’t been too much in our faces, operating low key. Talking to some insiders at the BNSC I get a feeling of an ‘OK’ performer. Nothing exceptional, nothing WOW, however effective and efficient.   Some of the problems and issues besieging the organisation and sport in general are beyond him and as Acting CEO he does not have much powers or leverage to make some decisions. I do not know why Kgosimore has not been entrusted with the position outright, but my gut feeling is that some feel he is a bit inexperienced for the post and maybe doesn’t hold much clout and power to be a major influence in sport circles.

This position needs someone who will shake things up, knock on influential doors, throw his weight around along the way rub some people off the wrong way.

Personally I wouldn’t have a problem with Mr Kgosimore getting the position as he is a well groomed young man who will learn as he goes along; but clearly someone feels otherwise. Else he would be getting the position. Notwithstanding that, a final decision has not been made and Mr Kgosimore is still in with a chance and might still get the position.

Raditladi’s appointment to the position caught many off-guard, including me. I thought they would go for someone who had been actively been involved in sport and sport management. However they went for someone with a good business and corporate background, hoping he would turn the organisation around. To a large extent he did, and maybe his major undoing was his somewhat limited appreciation of the sports dynamics and issues in Botswana.

Apart from Kgosimore, two other big names have been mentioned as possibilities for the post.  Falcon Sedimo and Kitso KK Kemoen are the other twoheavyweights whose names have been mentioned as possibilities for the position. I have personally worked with both them in the past and I personally know both them. So I will have to tread carefully. Both men have been in somewhat similar positions before and to a large extent performed their duties well. However due to some other callings and circumstances they had to shift.

Sedimo is currently at the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Culture and has in the past been at the helm of the highly pressurised Botswana Football Association (BFA) as well as the Department of Sport and Recreation. These are high pressure positions and he held the positions with aplomb. He commands respect within the sport administration circles and his name carries some clout. He could be very influential especially at this particular time when sport in Botswana is faced with some challenges, especially with regards strives within some affiliates and neglect of grassroots development. He is well connected within the sport circles. Over the years he has made a great contribution to Botswana sport and his appointment would be welcomed by many.

As for Kemoen, he has held the BNSC top post in the past. He left under a dark cloud due to differences with the Chairperson. Kemoen also has clout and has done well for sport in the past and even now as a consultant. He is still heavily involved in sport and is one of those administrators who is not afraid to make unpopular decisions as long as they will advance sport.  He has the interest of Sport at heart and you will never miss him at any major sporting event. That’s how passionate he is about sport. One can argue as to what is different that he will bring, but I feel he has unfinished business.

It is time for whoever has to make the appointment to do so. BNSC is currently in the process of drafting their new long-term strategy and it would be worthwhile to have a substantive appointee who will have a say in the drafting of the new strategy and kick it off.  Whether it is Kgosimore, Sedimo, Kemoen or whoever else is appointed; the decision has to be taken sooner rather than later. It has taken too long and the decision needs to be made soon.