Clubs fume as softball season delayed
Koketso Kgoboge | Friday November 22, 2019 12:05
The league should have begun in early October but the start was put on hold. The decision has not gone down well with clubs who argue, the executive committee is applying delay tactics amid a pending motion of no confidence.
But BSA vice president, Gontlafetswe Batsetswe said there are matters that have lagged behind for far too long and needed to be addressed before the league could commence.
Amongst the issues, is that some of clubs are yet to comply at the Registrar of Societies. He said all clubs are given until the end of this month to be compliant. Compliance, he said, addresses issues of filing returns and protecting clubs from bogus sponsors who use clubs for ‘money laundering schemes’.
The delay was also prompted by some loose ends in implementations of some items as per the agreement with the sponsor, he revealed. The league is in its second season of a three-year deal with BoFiNet.
“We are meeting the sponsor to iron out the loose ends before end of the week and a full report shall be communicated to all the stakeholders,” he said on Wednesday.
Batsetswe admits time has run out and the league can only start next year. He rubbished reports that the executive had failed to communicate with affiliates, adding clubs are kept abreast about the developments. But clubs insist they have been kept on the dark. In fact, they are complaining that there are many inconsistencies within the softball top brass.
They revealed the National Executive Committee (NEC) deliberately botched an annual general meeting (AGM) earlier this month after they feared a motion of no confidence that was raised by some clubs in the south. Clubs find issues of compliance as underhand tactics by the NEC to buy time.
“The problem is we recycle the same faces at the NEC that is why we have fallen where we are, now they are afraid to face a motion of no confidence hence these delay tactics,” Carats spokesperson, Phologo Lebopo said.
Lebopo feared unnecessary delays and inconsistencies might cost them the sponsorship deal.
He said many issues including the recent resignations of the treasurer and the communications officer, were unexplained.
“All this happened and there is still no communication. The league is delayed and we are yet to receive formal communication from the NEC, these things don’t add up,” he said.
Lebopo said his team was fully compliant and they are feeling the pinch with the delays. He said their players continue to train but are now demoralised. Ghetto Yankees boss, Telly Rasesigo echoed Lebopo’s sentiments regarding lack of communication.
He said they relied on the grapevine for information.
Rasesigo said they were looking forward to the AGM hoping to find answers only to be disappointed with the indefinite postponement.
“It is clear that our house is not in order but no one (from BSA) is coming fourth to inform us what is going on.
We had run out of time for the league this year and we have resorted to organising social games to keep ourselves occupied,” he said of his team.
Sua Raiders president, Lethogonolo Ntsima also submitted they were in the dark.
“Nobody said a word to us. We are standing on one foot, some of our players are training and some are not. We don’t know what is going on.”