Sport

Laptop request escalates into a fight

Softball has had its fair share of challenges
 
Softball has had its fair share of challenges

The association’s secretary general, Anastacia Makwa wrote a letter to Latzborn Segaise, requesting that he returns the laptop, which was given to him in his capacity as acting BSA general manager-south zone in May 2018.  But Segaise did not take kindly to the request, and as Makwa discovered, she stirred a hornet’s nest.

In the letter, Makwa reminded Segaise to return the gadget as it was the property of BSA and that the current office bearers should use it.

In his response, Segaise said last year he wrote to BSA about the same issue but was ignored.

“You are targeting me instead of the committee, yet you are claiming that it was to do with my official capacity. I am aware that this is due to the fact that I initiated the legal call for a motion of no confidence against your committee for poor governance and unprofessional behaviour,” Segaise hit back.

He said the demand for a laptop was an excuse to suspend or expel him from the association. Segaise said the same ploy was used to remove the former zonal secretary, Dr Nozie Piet from the position of senior men’s team manager in 2018. He suggested for a meeting with the National Executive Committee (NEC) to resolve the matter.

Segaise further wrote a letter to Office of the President (OP) complaining about BSA NEC.

“I have appealed to the Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC) in November 2018 but no response. Earlier this year, I made a follow up and promises were made to act on the matter until today,” read the letter.

He said the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development (MYSC) has also not assisted. He informed the OP that when the NEC came into office in 2018, he was acting general manager-south and his committee had removed the general manager, Kelebogile Ditsele from office through a motion of no confidence.

“The NEC reinstated her on claims that she had appealed. There was never a hearing where both parties could represent themselves,” the letter further reads. He also wrote to the BNSC chief executive officer, Falcon Sedimo complaining about the reinstatement of Ditsele.

BSA president, Thabo Thamane said all the association’s assets must be accounted for. He said that has made people to be afraid.

“Zones are autonomous from BSA. If there is something against the general manager, they must get her to account. They must tell you the whole story about why NEC reinstated her. We wrote a letter to Segaise in that regard,” he said.

Thamane said in the letter they explained that the NEC would not get into issues that were raised at the zonal level.

He said the zone did not follow procedure. “It was for the zone to go back and follow process. We did not get into the substance. The zone decided to sleep on their rights. We did not say she accounted or not. One thing that I am teaching softball people is the constitution,” he said.