Leemisa Thuseho
LESOTHO Sport and Recreation Commission (LSRC) president, Jobo Raswoko, says dissolving the Lesotho Taekwondo Association (LTA)’s executive committee and appointing an interim body to prepare for fresh elections could be the panacea to the problems that have beset the sport for over a year.
The LTA was initially supposed to have gone for elections in February 2020 but failed to do due to fears of the Covid-19 pandemic which had only just begun around the world at the time.
Last November, it again failed to hold the polls. This time it was because the Khubetsoana, Sefika and Maseru Day clubs had filed an urgent High Court application in the to stop the elections. The clubs also wanted the court to stop the LTA from inviting some clubs that were allegedly not members of the LTA to the annual general meeting (AGM).
In its judgement last December, the High Court ordered the LTA to prepare a new list of clubs and prepare for elections as per its constitution.
A new list was prepared but still the polls failed to take place after Lithabaneng filed another urgent High Court application in April this year. This after the club had been excluded from the new list along with the likes of Limkokwing, Ngoatonyane, ‘Mabathoana, Abia, Lepereng, Mazenod De Bishop, Hlotse and Itekeng.
The application is pending.
In a weekend interview with the Sunday Express, Raswoko said they had tried their best to help the LTA but failed. Therefore, it was time the LSRC took a decision in the best interests of the sport and athletes, he said.
“For a long time, we have been trying to help the association but all our attempts were in vain,” said Raswoko.
“I had meetings with all the concerned parties and I discovered that the main problem is the personalities of individuals.
“As the LSRC, we should now make a decision. I think the only thing that should happen now is that the LTA executive committee should be dissolved and its members suspended,” Raswoko said.
He said the LSRC will then form an interim committee that will prepare for elections to choose a new substantive LTA executive committee. He would not say how this could be legally done when there was a pending court case.