“You’ve no rights to this event”-Judge tells BNSC CEO’
Justice Tshepo Motswagole has ordered that the preparations for the FNB Botswana Golden Grand Prix be halted until the 5th of April.
The athletics event scheduled for 14th April is one of the two World Athletics continental tours gold track and field competitions in Africa, and also the only one in Southern Africa with gold status.
An urgent application was filed by the event owner Glody Dube seeking the court’s intervention to stop the Botswana National Sport Commission (BNSC) and its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Tuelo Daniel Serufho and Robert Wagner from being part of the organising committee for this event.
The former Botswana 800m runner is accusing Serufho of conniving to take his event and give it to a foreign entity which is Wagner’s company.
Golden Door Agency Dube’s company wants Botswana Athletics Association (BAA), BNSC, Wrag Group, World Athletics, Serufho, BAA President Moses Bantsi and Wagner to show cause why the event should not be halted.
The defence counsel Tiroyamodimo Sedimo argued that the government through the BNSC has put money into the event and that the only reason Dube wants his client out is because he doesn’t want to account.
He said they had a verbal agreement and there are also emails in which Dube has agreed to be paid as the director of the event in exchange for the hosting rights.
Judge Motswagole however told Sedimo that he was failing to understand the rights the BNSC, and the CEO has in Dube’s event.
He went on to ask Sedimo to refer him to a page in the court documents which clarified that, and he failed to do it.
“You have no rights to be part of this event. You are now irritating me. Your client comes into the picture with the element of the money that the government has put in which you claim has elevated the event. My understanding is that your argument is you can’t keep putting in government money without accountability, nothing about hosting rights,” said Motswagole.
Motswagole ordered that the defence attorney should file the supporting affidavit this Thursday and Dube’s representatives respond on Friday. He also ordered the matter to continue on the 5th of April.
For his part, Golden Door Agency attorney Ishmael Matebele assured athletics fans that the event has not lost its status and that it will go on as planned.
He said he wishes for a cordial way forward for the purpose of the growth of sports as it is an embarrassing matter.