Lesotho golfers in Botswana for Kgalagadi Golf Classic    

. . . As conflicting stories emerge on postponement of Maseru Golf Club Monthly Mug

NTHAKO MAJORO

MASERU – Ten Lesotho golfers are expected to tee off at the Kgalagadi Golf Classic in Botswana today. Kgalagadi Golf Classic, which is an annual Botswana golf tournament, is set to end tomorrow. It is one of the biggest golf events in Botswana. According to the Maseru Golf Club captain, Thabang Khabo, the players are in Botswana at the invitation of Kgalagadi Classic.

Khabo said the players were invited individually, even though they were members of the Maseru Golf Club. “They have been invited as individual players, just like it is for the Mohokare Golf Classic and Lekoa Classic,” said Khabo in an interview with Public Eye on Wednesday this week. “I am yet to determine who those players are, but I can confirm that they are a group of 10 golfers, three of whom are female.”

The invitation to the Kgalagadi Classic forced the postponement of the Maseru Golf Club monthly tournament, Monthly Mug, which was supposed to take place this Sunday. The Monthly Mug takes place every first Sunday of every month. Khabo confirmed its postponement. “The Monthly Mug will be postponed to August 14. Of course, this is because some of our members will be away for the Kgalagadi Classic.”

Khabo said the club’s culture is to hold the tournament when all of their players are available. This is while sources also told Public Eye that the postponement was forced by the fact that some of the club’s members will be attending a Sekhametsi Investment Consortium annual general meeting which takes place this weekend. The golfers in Botswana, according to the sources, are members of the business grouping.

“Other players will be attending Sekhametsi’s AGM since they are members,” said one source. “This is one of the reasons which has forced the postponement of the Monthly Mug.” Khabo could not confirm this claim. Instead, he said: “Well, that’s news to me, but it’s possible.” “But that’s not the primary reason for postponing the Monthly Mug. The tournament has been postponed just because of the Botswana trip.”

Matjato Moteane, one of the Maseru Golf Club members, is also a shareholder in Sekhametsi. Khabo said he only knew of him as a member of the business consortium within the gold club. “The only member of the club that I know as a Sekhametsi member is Moteane. I don’t know about the others.” Khabo said the tournament would only be postponed if Sekhametsi was the club’s sponsor and not because some of its golfers are members of the company. The Monthly Mug is a ranking competition for golfers within the Maseru Golf Club.