Fists of fury fly at BOCONGO
Tefo Pheage | Friday August 26, 2016 18:00
The organisation’s executive secretary, Bagaisi Mabilo’s year long and detailed frustrations “at the hands of his chairperson, Oscar Motsumi” have been laid bare before the general membership who are now calling for heads to roll at the embattled civil society’s coordinating office.
The matter is so serious that the office is in disarray and skeletons are tumbling out minute by minute through frustrated staff members who are divided between the warring Motsumi and Mabilo. The dispute had resulted in distribution of confidential and damning documents, most of which are the main source of wars within BOCONGO.
A highly emotionally-charged letter outpouring Mabilo’s feelings was distributed to members recently in which she expressed her frustrations at BOCONGO further calling upon members to come to the rescue of the sinking organisation. The detailed letter revealed the root cause of the disputes and further exposed the organisation’s secrets.
In the said letter passed to Mmegi by some members, Mabilo in her opening paragraph says: “I write this letter with a heavy heart. For most part of my life I have been in the civil society doing a job I love most. I have come to understand the civil society to be a platform where public interest run supreme and are more essential than self”.
She states that Motsumi’s continued humiliation and harassment has rendered the secretariat dysfunctional and brought the organisation to a halt. “The chairperson has not demonstrated any desire to see BOCONGO achieving any significant milestones. Instead he has been really working hard to discredit my efforts and any attempt to independently drive the BOCONGO mandate,” she wrote, adding that Motsumi repeatedly sabotages the organisation’s achievements efforts.
She states that she and BOCONGO staff had been repeatedly humiliated when seeking Motsumi’s signature, revealing that some of the organisation’s finance documents were signed at the bars.
The letter further says Motsumi repeatedly reminds her that her contract is up, all insinuating that she has to behave in a submissive manner. The letter further says Motsumi unilaterally runs BOCONGO and often confines critical information only to himself making it difficult for the staff and her to function.
“Motsumi has disrespected me as a woman in leadership, a mother and breadwinner for my family and most of all a professional human being,” she says.
In his response, Motsumi accused Mabilo of fabricating issues and told Mmegi that it is all well at BOCONGO. “We are an organisation in transition and reviewing processes and this ruffles a few feathers,” he said.
“The issues raised in various correspondences, including confidential ones, are matters that we are dealing with. We have involved lawyers and I am not at liberty to discuss most of the issues contained in there safe to say they are not true,” he charged.
The chairperson continued that the members who have also received these correspondences have been addressed at different forums. “They have aired their views and expressed their frustrations and proposals and we are currently addressing those. The board has tasked two members to look into the allegations and will issue a report on that upon completion,” he said.