Teboho Molapo
MASERU — National golf captain Masuhla Leteka has rubbished allegations made by well-known golf dissident General Sentle that Lesotho’s team at this week’s Zone VI International Amateur Golf Team Games was made up of foreigners.
Sentle made the allegations during a Friday morning programme on Radio Lesotho.
He was refereeing to 29-year-old Tsietsi Mofokeng who works in Clarens, South Africa, and 15-year-old Yuliang Tsai who is Chinese-born.
Both are apparently Lesotho citizens.
“There are people who are loose cannons and who rely on very cheap gossip,” Leteka told the Sunday Express on Friday.
“We are talking about a national team here and the idea is to represent Lesotho in the best way possible.
“One of them (Mofokeng) is my homeboy from Makhoakhoeng (Butha-Buthe).
“He is a Mosotho and he is a very good player who at the moment is trying to get into the professional ranks.”
The team left on Friday for the Zone VI Games — exclusively for amateur players — to be held in Botswana from Tuesday to Friday.
Last year Lesotho failed to take part at the games because of lack of funding.
“It is not the first time Tsai has represented Lesotho. He did so in Zambia with distinction,” Leteka said.
“We would have liked to include other quality players with good handicaps.
“And that is the good thing about golf — one’s handicap doesn’t lie.”
Leteka’s sentiments were echoed by Motlalentoa Moloi, Lesotho’s top golfer and coach of the Zone VI side.
Along with a team of eight players, Moloi and team manager ‘Maseithati Nkuebe will travel to Botswana.
“All the players are from Lesotho. If certain players did not qualify then they shouldn’t try and disrupt the team,” Moloi said before the team’s departure from Maseru Golf Club.
“If you take old players and leave talented young players behind then where would we be saying our golf is going?
“It’s not just about age. These players have qualified.
“If (the others) they had qualified maybe there would be an argument, but they haven’t qualified.
“We are not going there for the sake of going. We are going there to plant seeds for the future.
“We pick players according to ratings. We don’t pick according to performance over a week.
“These players have played well over a period of time.”
Three players — Tlotliso Khabo, Theko Moteane and Mohau Mochebelele — have been unable to join the team because of university commitments in South Africa.
Moloi said the players would play in an amateur golf tournament, the Botswana Open, which started yesterday and ends today, as preparation.
They will then take part in tomorrow’s official Zone VI practice round before the tournament starts on Tuesday.
Moloi himself was due to play in the Sunshine Tour’s Zimbabwe Open from April 21 but he withdrew because of budget constraints.
“I will play at the tournaments in Swaziland and in Katu instead,” Moloi said.
The Zone VI golf games — contested by South Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Swaziland, Malawi, Tanzania and Lesotho — have been dominated by South Africa with Lesotho hovering near the rear.
But Moloi said he was hopeful Lesotho would put up a good showing.
“The team has prepared well and we have picked the best team we could,” Moloi said.
Lesotho’s Zone VI team:
Tsietsi Mofokeng, Jonny Lin, Thabang Khabo, Yuliang Tsai, Motlatsi Seitlheko, Kelly Lerotholi, Tefo Ramali, Tšoari Seitlheko.