Makhwengwe, Kgomela suspensions indefinite?
Sport
The suspended Botswana Football Association Education Officer Phillimon Makhwengwe and Technical Director Benny Kgomela are crabbily rolling into infinity with their near month-long perch on the lip of vagueness, as the disciplinary hearings on their suspensions have been postponed ad infinitum.
The disciplinary hearings of the BFA technical subdivision duo whose suspension gave away the perceptible distrust and paranoia thick in the air at the Lekidi football centre has been postponed indefinitely. The duo has thus been left out in the cold and dark, with their future in sports in doubt as this virtually means that their suspensions are also indefinite.
WeekendSport sources at the heart of Lekidi Football Centre sketch a disaster-prone picture of anarchy and lawlessness where those at the top utilise their positions to settle vendettas of old. A high powered source at the heart of the country’s football kremlin, described the state of affairs as resultant of unchecked misguided logic and egotism as proper procedures are being flouted, in the process dragging the country’s football against the grain of progression and commercialisation which the country is struggling to achieve.
The BFA source revealed that at the moment while the national team is kick starting its goal of replicating the euphoric 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification, the office of the technical department remains under lock and key while BFA personnel without any technical expertise purportedly in the association’s Marketing and Communications officer, Phakamile Kraai and Competitions Office head Steven Maleka have been roped in to hold the technical department fort.
Pessimistic and dispirited BFA sources also correlated the country’s dwindling fortunes of football commercialisation to the alleged unprofessional conduct at the association. “Cassim Dada is gone at Extension Gunners and I will not be surprised to hear tomorrow that Jagdish Shah or Nicholas Zakhem is gone, the little of football investors we have are going and surely we cannot be foolhardy to think we can attract anyone with the Lekidi house in this order ,” said an informant who wanted to remain anonymous.
WeekendSport sources also expressly predicted doom, explaining that the state of affairs at Lekidi will continue to hurt the Botswana football Association, as the technical department duo’s suspension and the accompanying indefinite delay of the BFA rapprochement efforts will create a vacuum a know-how drain, inadvertently in times when national team activity has begun in earnest. The insider also said that “the advertisement of BFA positions takes a long time and you don’t have to look anywhere beyond the lengthy case of former BFA Vice President Administration Tariq Babitseng, new BFA CEO Kitso Kemoeng or Steven Phetlhe.”
When contacted for comment the ever- unyielding BFA CEO Kitso Kemoeng tersely stated that “the proceedings are an internal matter.”When further posed with the allegation that he is conducting an exercise of surrounding himself with ‘his men’, Kemoeng said that, “those are just their thoughts, they don’t run this office and none of my kids are qualified for this posts.”
Sport
Orange injects P350 000 into Phikwe marathon
Mobile network Orange Botswana is committed to supporting the development of local sport. Through its sponsorship, the company will be able to promote and market the sport. According to Maano Masisi, the company believes that sport can unite people from different backgrounds.
He stated that through the sponsorship of the marathon, the company will help promote healthy lifestyles and unity among the people of Selebi Phikwe.
The Selebi Phikwe Marathon is scheduled to take place on July 29, 2023. It is expected that it will attract international, regional, and social runners. A total of P216 000 has been allocated for the prize money for the first ten places in the 42.2 km race. For the 15km and 10km races, the LOC will give away prizes to the first five places.
Sport
Big Guns for Botswana Grand Prix
The National Stadium will be lit up with fireworks on April 29, 2023, as some of the best international athletes will participate in the maiden Botswana Grand prix.
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Sport
AFRICA’S RECOVERY: Sports as game changer
The year 2022 witnessed unprecedented phenomena. Several Africans- Gotytom Gebreslase, Sharon Lokedi, Victor Kiplangat, Tamarit Tola and many others- swept the World’s marathons records.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the resulting control measures implemented in several countries, led to many high-level sports competitions being cancelled or shelved, the Dakar 2022 Youth Olympic Games was moved to 2026.
Founder and Executive Chairman, African Sports and Creative Institute, Will Mabiakop, says the inability to hold traditional and amateur sports events have had a serious effect on public health overall, including mental health, sparking a revolution whereby athletes began to talk more openly about stress, mental overload and performance anxiety.
“Africa is home to the fastest growing economies before the crisis, no longer on track to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). COVID-19 deepened interdependence between SDGs, making them harder to achieve, especially SDG 10 (reducing inequality) and SDG 5 (gender equality_ as the pandemic had a disproportionate impact on poorer countries, and heavier burdens (such as care work) fell to women.”
Mabiakop stresses that as policymakers contemplate actions to speed up recovery and build resilience, they must argue that sports and creative businesses should play a central feature in this effort.
“The sports economy worldwide is estimated at 5% of GDP, but only 0.5% in Africa. If exploited, Africa’s sports and creative industries can offer policymakers innovative solutions. Especially, as regards job creation, and providing employment to the 15 million people entering the job market annually.”
HOW CAN THE INDUSTRY DO THIS?
By leveraging the two-for-one concept: past studies shown that a 1% growth in the economy delivers a 2% job increment in this sector (these ratios are calculated using data from 48 African countries and adjusted to the reality of the sports economy in Africa by the authors). There are between 30 and 50 job types, in sports and creative industries, respectively. These jobs do not fade away with the first major shock.
Mabiakop indicated that policymakers can use these industries to tackle multiple crises- jobs, poverty, and climate risks. Sports diplomacy- defined as communication, representation and negotiation in or through the prism of sports- has proven effective in building inclusive and cohesive societies. Moreover, sports and the creative industry can support better mental health and well-being, both important for productivity.
“Policymakers can also be true to the game by leveraging culture and tradition to celebrate identity and reap commercial value in sports, textiles and jewelry. Creative sectors allow deeper connection with culture, are not easily copied and provide great economic potential.”
He said supporting grassroots sports has powerful distributional effects. “Fortunately, technology has made reaching wide audiences easier, generating higher rates of success when talent is discovered.”
However, Mabiakop held that potential pitfalls must be highlighted. “First avoid build it and they will come policies with infrastructures denuded from the rest of the ecosystem. Like the many sports stadiums left largely unused.”
“Policymakers must remain mindful of how these sectors move the needle in human capital development. Also, align the requisite public policies needed for progress from grassroots participation to professional sports, and even to international sporting events. They should also support investment instruments to render these sectors performant.”