The elections committee has also come under criticism, accused of bias. Presidential candidate, Kutlwano Tatolo wrote a letter to Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC) in August requesting that the committee be dissolved. Another candidate, Moses Khutsafalo who is contesting for the position of vice president (technical) also raised a complaint. In her letter, Tatolo said she had lost confidence in the elections committee’s ability to conduct free and fair elections. Tatolo said the committee should not conduct the elections after it admitted its inability to facilitate online voting. “...the committee be dissolved from conducting elections on account of their suspicious, unprocedural and untrue reasons for the second suspension of elections,” her letter reads. Tatolo told Mmegi Sport that the elections can go ahead, as all that she wanted to highlight was that the elections committee is biased against her and Khutsafalo because of the complaints that they raised. “I am still not comfortable about them running elections and they would not be fair. Since I am not the only candidate, I have conceded to go on with the elections. Hopefully, they will be fair,” Tatolo said. Another presidential candidate, Mooketsi Segaise said he was not aware of complaints against the elections committee. “As for me, as things stand, I am good to go, more so that the election date has been declared. Whatever reservations I may have, this would not be the right time to voice them,” he said.
For the first time in chess elections, as associate members, primary schools will be allowed to vote. Segaise said as far as the BCF Constitution is concerned, schools at all levels are considered associates of the BCF and are eligible to vote. He said even at the last elections, primary schools were eligible to vote. “I am not sure if anyone at that particular time raised any queries against them voting. But if such a query was there, then it would have been misplaced. Yes, it is good to have primary schools have a say in the running of the BCF. We would like to see them enrolling and participating in chess activities,” Segaise said. Mabedi Mbo, who is also contesting for the presidency, said she was not aware of any complaints against the elections committee. The elections committee chairperson, Vincent Masole said he was aware of the complaints against his committee as they were copied in emails written to the BNSC. “I do believe that the BNSC has responded accordingly to the complainant. Without address from the general membership and BCF to us regarding any complaints, it means our journey to lead BCF elections continues,” he said.
