Gaborone Motor Club denies boycott reports
Spira Tlhankane | Friday July 31, 2015 11:33
A GMC member and well known rider, Motsumi Lekone had said the club was considering ditching BMS competitions.
GMC chairman, Kevin Branch refuted the allegations saying they were false and aimed at destroying the reputation of the club. He clarified their events in the calendar would go on as planned and nothing had changed. “We can’t cancel our events, why we would do that?” he asked.
Branch, a former BMS president acknowledged that GMC had issues with BMS before, but they were not issues, which could cause alarm.
“Yes we have put particular concerns before them but they have since been solved and we are ready to move forward,” he said.
Lekone, who is also a BMS committee member, alleged his club would pull out from all off road events because issues put before the Executive Committee were not addressed. Lekone told Mmegi Sport that GMC held a meeting on April 28 and it was decided the current committee should address the club’s concerns.
According to Lekone, GMC put many issues before the BMS committee, among them, cheating during elections and exclusion of GMC from the executive committee.
“A meeting was held on May 2 and we questioned the qualifications of some members in the executive committee. We also complained about unrecognised clubs which have only three members,” he said.
Lekone alleged that some clubs were formed prior to the election in order to help cheat during the voting process.
“We launched our complaint to BNSC but they dismissed us saying that the executive committee is eligible and recognised,” he explained.
For his part BMS president, Simon Modisaeman indicated that Lekone’s allegations were news to him.
“GMC had never come to us about anything of that sort,” he said. He said if GMC had a problem with the mother body, they would have put the issue before the committee by now.
Modisaeman said Lekone’s attitude is a disgrace to the motor sport. “Lekone has his own issues and it is a pity that someone like him keeps trying to destroy the good reputation of the sport,” he said.
Modisaeman indicated that Lekone was elected as a member in the current committee, but his attitude and behaviour landed him before the disciplinary committee last December.
“Lekone didn’t show up for the hearing and we are yet to deal with his situation. He was not dismissed, as far as we are concerned, he is still a member of the committee,” he said.
He pointed out that BMS is working closely with GMC every step of the way.
“GMC fully participated during the recent desert race,” he pointed out. Modisaeman said Lekone was the only member representing GMC in the executive committee.
Addressing the allegations of unrecognised clubs affiliated to BMS, Modisaeman said there are no such clubs in the association.
“We welcome any club that has registered with the Registrar of Societies. We don’t look at the number of members,” he explained. He said BMS would continue working with GMC and other clubs going forward.