Motlakase: From a stadium dream to the bottom
Koketso Kgoboge | Friday November 13, 2020 16:01
PALAPYE: There was the usual buzz associated with a Motlakase Power Dynamos weekend. Palapye Swallows Grounds became a hive of activity at the height of Motlakase’s glory days.
But that is fast fading into distant memory as a club touted as the next best thing, finds itself lying hapless on the deathbed. A dirt road stretching from Setaboswane liquor outlet, known as Kwa ga Mmasupha to Swallows Grounds was the place to be on match days.
Public transport came to a brief halt as taxis and combis snaked in one-way traffic to the grounds. Taxi and combi operators were known for their fondness for the maroons. Chouka was the breeding ground for exciting young players that mostly came from the vast Tswapong area. The Palapye outfit churned players in different generations of football that undisputedly contributed to face-lifting the elite league and represented the nation from junior teams to the national team. To mention a few, the likes of Mompati Thuma, Ace Dikgang, Jomo Bolofete and Thobo Kgoboge, from earlier years to Teenage Orebonye, Thato Kebue, Gape Mohutsiwa and Allen Ndodole in the current crop all grew to become household names.
At its peak, Chouka attracted big-name coaches. The club was a project destined for greatness. Madinda Ndlovu, Dominic Changwe, Stanley Mwanga, Benedict Bayani and Boyo Radipotsane all assembled exciting squads during their spells with the club and contributed special memories for the followers. Chouka reached the Coca-Cola Cup final and finished the league in the top eight during their best spells.
The club took the commercial route and long-time sponsor Botswana Power Corporation pulled out to make way for local investors who were keen to propel the club forward.
Chouka transformed from Motlakase Football Club to Motlakase Power Dynamos. With a takeover by local businessmen, it appeared only the sky was the limit.
They secured a chunk of land and Chouka was set to becoming the first local club to own a stadium. Not too far, a bad omen entered the camp and the hope the club carried for the village went up in smoke. The local investors parted ways.
The stadium plot was repossessed and ever since Chouka has been on a free fall. In 2016, the club bid farewell to elite football. Chouka’s promising structures collapsed, despite a few diehards sticking with the club. They undertook a complete overhaul of the squad and injected young blood at the lower first division.
Former Chouka manager, Gaolatlhe Kelesitse returned with a five-year plan to retain the club’s top-flight league status. The new talent came to paces quickly. A second season after relegation they missed promotion by a whisker.
A suspect call from celebrated referee, Joshua Bondo denied them a crucial last-minute penalty in the promotional playoffs against Uniao Flamingo Santos when all they needed was a goal to advance.
The team had displayed a hearty performance in front of a rejuvenated Swallows Ground crowd. It was an emotional and teary afternoon for the players and supporters after missing out on promotion. The next season was shambles. Vultures, particularly from the south, had descended on Motlakase and preyed on the team’s young talent. The club was broke, desperate and they were forced to sell in the off-season transfer window. About seven first-team players left. It ruined the five-season strategic plan. Lack of finance bore more complications in the following season.
The once-promising club weakened. Supporters deserted. The last campaign will go down the books as the worst in the past two decades for the once-mighty Chouka. The club has hit rock bottom on and off the field. Struggles rang from the players’ quarters.
At some point last season, desperate players complained of growling stomachs as hunger set in, there were no soccer boots and other necessary equipment.
Training schedules became chaotic as some players skipped training and it weighed on the coaches and the results. Another drop to a lower division was beckoning.
The decision to call the season complete probably survived the club from a further drop to the lower rungs of football. When the league was stopped with four games to go, Motlakase was at position eight on 19 points. They were two points better than bottom-placed Francistown City Greens, with only four wins from 18 games.
As football returns from the reak, the silence at Chouka is deafening. There is no noticeable activity at the club. Kelesitse, however, said they were busy behind the scenes drawing a long-term plan for the club. He said they were open to new investors after closing the previous chapter.
“We are back strategising, and we are ready to venture into a new chapter of partnership. At the moment we are working on formalising the working area in the club. We are looking at what will work for us in the next 10 years,” he said.