Mmegi

Sport Pitso: New gov’t to lay mark

Heads together: The Ministry of Sport has called a Sport Pitso PIC: KENNEDY RAMOKONE
Heads together: The Ministry of Sport has called a Sport Pitso PIC: KENNEDY RAMOKONE

The new government, which came into power last November, will seek to lay down the marker in the crucial sports sector, as stakeholders convene in Gaborone on Saturday for a Sport Pitso.

The Minister of Sport and Arts, Jacob Kelebeng, will officially open the meeting, which has been called by his ministry and will bring together critical stakeholders to chart a new path for the sector. Amongst key issues on the agenda will be sport funding, school sport, the country's hosting strategy, and the Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC) Act.

The Pitso presents a platform for the new government to align its policies with the administration's goals. The gathering will bring together the National Sport Associations (NSA), the Botswana National Olympic Committee (BNOC), and BNSC boards under one roof. The meeting is held against a backdrop of constricted sport funding as the grant from the government has been declining over the years. Sport in government schools was suspended in 2018 after a clash with teachers over unpaid allowances. The tension led to the previous government setting up a Task Team to overhaul school sport. Last year, the government announced the return of school sport, and set aside P55 million, which was expected to rejuvenate and provide resources to the athletes.

The previous administration came under fire for failing to revive school sport despite repeated promises. As a way to kick-start the resumption of school sport initiatives, Matlhagola Tsela was launched last year, and it is also expected to be discussed. The BNSC Act, which is expected to bring changes in the operations of the BNSC and BNOC, including merging the two organisations, will also form part of the agenda. The Act is due to go before Parliament. The last Sport Pitso was held in Palapye in 2018 where it was resolved that up to 30% of the annual grant would be given to NSAs provided they meet accounting compliance requirements. The BNSC was to create separate accounts for NSAs for effective management of their grants.

The BNSC and NSAs were to craft a tax review to include input for sport development with the view to be considered by government. The Pitso resolved that a proposal was to be made to government to allocate a quota of proceeds from the Alcohol Levy to the funding of sport. Under governance, communication channels between the sporting sector for rapid response were to be improved for transparency. The 2018 Pitso called for the re-establishment of the affiliates' empowerment committee with the view to review the tier system and revise the funding model. Other resolutions were to appoint a five-member task team that was to review the report on Centres of Sport Excellence. The BNSC sport development office was to provide secretariat services.

The NSAs were to approach the ministry and how they could come on board regarding constituency sport tournaments. The BNSC was also tasked with improving support services for people living with disabilities, which included funding, facilities access, and policies. The timeline for all actions was March 16, 2018, but some recommendations are still outstanding.

Editor's Comment
UDC's 100 Days: Please deliver your promises!

We duly congratulate them to have ousted the long ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) from power. Prior to taking power from the BDP, the coalition had made several election promises that are credited for influencing change and swaying the people to vote in its favour.The party had made an undertaking, which its leader and President Duma Boko consistently bellowed in his campaign trail. These undertakings were promises that Batswana would be...

Have a Story? Send Us a tip
arrow up