Netball coach in shock after sack

MOSAH MOKGANEDI
Correspondent | Thursday October 11, 2007 00:00

 

He wonders how the Botswana Netball Association (BONA) judged him before discussing the issue with him. He is puzzled that a coach who was his co-accused was not sacked.

BONA dismissed Chitelo last month after charges of misconduct.

'Following allegations on your conduct in two separate netball events together with your comments on your acceptance letter, the executive committee has resolved to withdraw the appointment with immediate effect pending investigations,' BONA secretary general Gracious Seru said in a letter to Chitelo.

The dismissed coach wonders what the association is referring to, as he does not recall having a misunderstanding with anyone in recent events.

He alleges that the decision may not be from the executive committee. He blames two top officials for making the decision and imposing it on the committee. He accuses some officials of pettiness and says his sacking was due to personal and not professional reasons. Chitelo was appointed assistant coach in June this year. He accuses a certain official of running the association like a personal fiefdom.

He says the official seems to have more powers than the BONA president. He says that some committee members are not happy with the way things are done. He pleaded with BONA to give him reasons why he was sacked.

One executive committee member who preferred anonymity for fear of victimisation complained that things are not done right at BONA. He wonders why Chitelo was sacked before he was given a hearing. He said he does not know why the assistant coach was sacked. 'I only heard that he misbehaved,' he said.

BONA president Tebogo Setlalekgosi said Chitelo has not been sacked. She said the coach has been suspended pending investigations of misconduct lodged by the southern zonal committee. She said Chitelo is innocent until he is proved guilty. Setlalekgosi added that they have been trying to arrange meetings between Chitelo and the zonal committee but they have failed on two occasions. The meetings flopped because either of the two parties could not make it. Setlalekgosi lambasted Chitelo for choosing to run to the media instead of resolving the issue with BONA. She confirmed that the same allegations made against Chitelo were levelled against head coach Joseph Makakaba. But BONA decided not to suspend him, as the team need a caretaker coach.

'We had to choose between the two and we felt  allegations against Chitelo were more serious than those made against Makakaba,' she said.

BONA considered the fact that Chitelo was suspended before, on similar grounds.

Setlalekgosi denied that a certain official controls BONA. She said all officials consult on whatever they do and the said colleague happens to be the most active member of the executive committee.