Times Of Swaziland: BASKETBALL EYES VACCINATION FOR ALL

BASKETBALL EYES VACCINATION FOR ALL
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BY SANELE JELE on 14/10/2021 08:33:00


EZULWINI – “The year became a roller–coaster ride, making it impossible to
find a perfect opportunity to conclude all our business.”
These were comments by Basketball Association of Eswatini (BASE) President
Nhlanhla Maphanga during the annual general meeting (AGM) which was held at MTN
Clubhouse on Sunday. He made these comments during the president’s address
which was the first item during the meeting. The meeting comes after the
association had to try to re-adjust to the COVID-19 challenges following that
last year, they hosted a similar meeting but had to adjourn due to that they had
to sort financial statements.
COVID-19 as highlighted by the president also played a huge role in derailing
them hosting the meeting which was adjourned also due to that they had to adhere
to the two-hour minimum time for gatherings. The association according to the
president in his address had been trying to find time to call their affiliates
to the meeting. Just in August this year, the association tried to host the AGM
but it was not a success because only five teams managed to connect to the zoom
meeting. It had to be deferred and was finally held this past Sunday.
Strain
“The pandemic has put a massive strain on the executive and its operations.
Physical meetings have become impossibility. Virtual meetings present a
challenge of each member having to ensure they have personal data for
meetings,” Maphanga said. “By waiving the affiliation fee requirement for
the last two years has lead to the association receiving no income. This means
the executive members had to foot their own bills in executing their duties,”
he said.
He also highlighted the restriction on activities had lead to the freezing of
sponsorships. He said, however, their major sponsor, MTN kept their door open
for discussions. “The challenge is with the ability of clubs to adhere to
strict regulations imposed for participating in competitions.” He said that
the pandemic had forced them back to the drawing board. “One consideration is
to join the drive by football and consider vaccinating all our players and
officials. We hope this will ease up restrictions for us to have
competitions,” he said.