Softball water supply cut-off over P80,000 debt
Calistus Kolantsho | Friday September 6, 2019 10:59
BSA vice president, Batsetswe Gontlafetse said the association has owed WUC since December 2018, and as a result, water supply to the National Diamond has been cut-off.
Gontlafetse said a leakage has been identified in underground pipes.
“We are still negotiating with the Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC) on how they could assist us pay the bill,” he said. BSA reportedly owes Botswana Telecommunications Corporation P20,000 and Travel Lodge P25,000.
Southern zone managers have written letters to the executive demanding answers from the executive over the situation at BSA. According to the letter, the managers raised four areas of concern being, the failure to pay clubs, lack of running water at the National Diamond and ablutions, the diamond turf maintenance and the resignation of the treasurer and public relations officer.
“The 2018-2019 BoFiNeT Softball League has come and gone, but up to date clubs are yet to receive their prize money.
This is despite meagre resources and the difficulties clubs go through in order to honour league games and tournament’s eliminators,” the letter reads in part.
The managers further complained that the National Diamond does not have potable water and that has been the case for months and even during some league games.
They added that the situation is a health risk.
The managers also complained about the ‘deplorable’ state of the National Diamond pitch due to lack of maintenance. “After the women’s championships in Japan, several players and officials were suspended without an explanation to either their club managers or the BSA fraternity at large.
We raised our concerns in the last AGM, the matter is yet to be resolved and players and officials are still suspended from national duty without information on the progress of the matter,” said the managers.
Gontlafetse said the managers were aware of the reasons behind some of the issues.
“Payments to clubs were delayed because the sponsor pays in batches and it is difficult when some clubs do not have bank accounts and some managers requested that the cheques be written in their names, which was impossible,” he explained.
“Some cheques were written in club names, but they are still holding on to them because they have no account. I admit that payments were made late.”