In 2022, Macheke and his executive committee were given a four-year term to lead the association. However, soon after assuming the position, Macheke came under heavy criticism, forcing him to quit his post. He was accused of failing to account for funds for a trip which the national team undertook to South Africa (SA) as well as money from sponsors. He is also accused of failing to inform affiliates and the Botswana National Sport Commission about the resignation of events manager, Edward Lesole. Speaking to Mmegi Sport, Macheke contested for election for the love of badminton. “People close to me requested me to contest for the position. Before taking on the role, I told them that I might have challenges, especially where I work. I came in with some reservations,” he said. Macheke said after the elections, he believed that he had a team that could take BBA forward. He said some issues existed such as administration and governance in the association. “There were no games, especially since it was post-COVID-19, of which we managed to start having more games. What was in my heart, you know as a leader you cannot share everything but I wanted badminton to be visible,” he said.
A few months into office, Macheke submitted his resignation. “Sometimes people who are voted are not fit for leadership roles. The current BBA executive committee is full of young people, unemployed and if employed they have never led an organisation before. An executive position needs someone who is in middle management or strategic management. We had assembled an energetic team but without experience. There was a gap in thinking between the team and myself. Internally some things were dragging me back,” he said. Macheke was worried that there was no confidentiality within the executive committee. He said that did not mean there was no transparency. He said it became a problem when the executive committee listened more to people outside. “That was the deal breaker; the previous committee members started influencing them. They started telling them that it was their success but things were centred on Macheke. Those things are normal but they need maturity. I believe those were some of the reasons I parted ways with the team. At a personal level, we are friends but we cannot click at a business level. I started to fight a lot of forces from outside,” he said. When asked about the funds, Macheke said the BNSC grant could not be deposited into a personal account. “Maybe I once had an allowance deposited into my account. But it hardly happened because I never travelled outside the country for activities. The only time I received an allowance was during the Botswana International, which was in Lobatse. I used a lot of my resources for badminton, maybe someone will tell you how much I spent. It will be shocking for me to get money from the BBA,” he said. Macheke said badminton is an expensive sport. “My wife will be shocked to hear that I took money from BBA because she knows how much I spent on this sport. Regarding sponsorship funds, we had six companies towards Botswana International, four of them in kind and the other two, in cash. I was the one who negotiated the sponsorships. The funds were deposited into the BBA account. I will then inform everyone about the money that came through,” he said.
