Subscription Payment Raises Concern
Calistus Kolantsho | Monday March 9, 2020 11:39
Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC) only allows national team athletes access the stadium for free.
The revelation was made by Lefika athletics club chairperson, Thari Mooketsi. He was speaking during the annual general meeting (AGM) for Botswana Athletics Association (BAA) over the weekend. He said it is not fair for athletes who do not belong to the national team to be expected to pay.
“It is only in Gaborone where athletes pay for the stadium. Most of the athletes are unemployed and the monthly subscription is too high for them. They cannot afford it. BAA must discuss this matter with BNSC. They are chasing away potential talent,” he said.
Mooketsi said BNSC always preaches athletes development but it cannot happen with an arrangement in which some athletes pay subscriptions. The former BAA president said the association should have a template for membership. He also said in that way, they would be able to have a proper database of their members.
Mooketsi added that the document should be made available in the next meeting. However, UB athletics treasurer, Katlego Thwabi said it impossible to have a general template for all clubs. He said clubs do operate in the same way as some are for government institutions while others are privately owned.
BAA president, Paphane Bothale said he would take up the matter with the commission. He stated at the moment athletes are either charged or chased away. Meanwhile, Bothale said BAA has made significant strides in financial reports audit. He said by end of this month they expect to have completed a backlog from 2012.
“The BAA is operating with a constitution which was approved in 2016. It has been helpful in guiding the affairs of the association. But it has some loopholes that need to be closed as soon as possible. The constitution does not have rules and regulations as well as the code of conduct. We understand that the World Athletics has it’s own regulations of which we can always refer to. But we should have our own regulations,” he said.
Bothale said there is need for the BAA to have a legal advisor. He said the association is growing and it would definitely get more stakeholders coming its way.
“These partnerships are done through contracts between partners therefore it is best we have our own legal advisor to handle such documents, otherwise we might find ourselves having agreed to something which might disadvantage us in future,” he said.