We were not bribed by BOT50 – BEPA

“We are still awaiting the calendar of events from BOT50 to enable us to gauge if we can work on it” Zenzele Hirschfeld

LAME BOGATSU

Botswana Entertainment and Promoters Association (BEPA) president Zenzele Hirschfeld has dismissed allegations suggesting that they have been bribed by BOT50 committee.
Allegations were raised on social media and the media that the sudden silence of promoters over controversies involving the committee which is tasked with preparing for Botswana’s 50th independence celebrations- was as a result of undue influence from the committee.
“We wish to clarify that we have not reached any conclusion with BOT50 neither have we been given any job to work on. In the current state we are still awaiting the calendar of events from BOT50 to enable us to gauge if we can work on it, but to date we on a daily basis request for it but are sent from pillar to post,” Hirschfeld said in a statement.
“Letters were written to various relevant authorities seeking intervention since the Minister of Youth, Sport and Culture Honourable Thapelo Olopeng, and the Bot50 Coordinator Charity Kgotlafela were not responding to our calls. Eventually after the Public Accounts Committee instructed BOT50 Board Coordinator to give us audience, we were granted a meeting with the BOT50 coordinator Charity Kgotlafela who told the BEPA Task Force Team that there was a misunderstanding from their office regarding our requests to meet and that, our meeting had brought clarifications that our intentions were good and she was happy to start working with promoters on BOT50 events going forward, and that the BEPA Task Force Team had to draw an activation plan of all BOT50 related events based on the calendar of events that BOT50 will immediately share with BEPA,” she explained.
Hirschfeld however said when they enquired about the promised calendar of events in their follow up meeting with Kgotlafela, she said it had not yet been shared. She also did not provide the calendar after she promised to share it later on the day of the said meeting.
“BEPA Task Force Team asked for a letter or Memorandum of understanding to show commitment to agreements between the two parties, to which Kgotlafela responded that due to time constraints in her busy schedule an MOU cannot be drawn, thus minutes of our meetings were sufficient to act as proof of our agreement, to date we are still waiting for the calendar of events,” she explained.
Time Out attempts to ask Kgotlafela when BOT50 would provide BEPA with the calendar of events were futile as she was unreachable on her mobile.