Questions remain over World Relays trip
Calistus Kolantsho | Friday May 31, 2019 20:15
The 2019 IAAF World Relays trip failure would forever remain as a significant, un-erased blot on the BAA. There have been several failed athletics trips before, but the country’s failure to send the team to the World Relays in Yokohama, Japan, made the loudest noise.
As the dust cannot settle, the question still remains; did the truth see the light of the day? BAA affiliates trooped to Lekidi in numbers hoping to emerge with answers from their leadership, and probably close the World Relays chapter.
BAA treasurer, Brian Mosweu shocked affiliates during the Special General Meeting when he announced that Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC) did not deposit money for the team’s visas. “We were supposed to start the process after the national championship that were held the previous weekend. We thought the BNSC would have deposited the money by Monday. We met the BNSC finance director and he promised that he was about to sign off our request,” he said.
Mosweu said they had requested for a special dispensation from the Japanese Embassy to expedite the visa process.
He added that the Embassy advised them to submit the team list early as it had many athletes and officials, and the office needed time to process them through security check.
He said the situation then got out of hand as they discovered that the money had not been deposited into the account on Tuesday and time was running out.
“The visas money that they are talking about was never deposited into our account. Even today we have not received that money. The money that we received is the P50, 950 which is the refund for the national championships,” he said.
Mosweu dispute what was said at a press conference organised by the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Sport and Culture Development (MYSC) that the visa money had been deposited.
“We went to the bank and withdrew P6, 825 to apply for visas, but we could not make the deadline at the Japanese Embassy. The athletes were even saying it was impossible for them to travel on the 9th and a few hours down the line they are expected to be on the track, competing,” Mosweu told the affiliates.
BAA vice secretary, Olebogeng Oitebetse said the reason they were given a back-and-forth treatment was because they have not complied at the Registrar of Societies. “We are at fault. We did not pay the BNSC affiliation of P1, 000 on time and our books were not audited. To me BNSC was being kind to us and they were professional,” Oitebetse said, sending affiliates to further confusion.
She said the BAA leadership decided to give affiliates wrong information. When the affiliates trooped out of Lekidi Centre they still did not have an unambiguous answer as to why their athletes failed to catch the plane to Yokohama.
Meanwhile, still at the meeting, affiliates rejected the unaudited financial report.
Paphane Botlhale from UB Athletics Club said the accountant should have presented the financial report to the executive committee so that they can own and forward it, to the auditors.
“There is still a lot of work to be done on the report. You should have allowed the job to be done professionally before rushing to present it,” he said.
BAA president, Thari Mooketsi revealed that the organisation was last audited in 2011. He said there are no records since then and there are lots of discrepancies. “What we are doing right now is to try to comply hence we see the need to sort out our books. I have been advised that if we try to audit financial years that we are struggling to find records for, it would be a waste of funds,” he said. Kebaitse Legojane of Palapye Club said it was shocking that the last audit was done in 2011.