Maokaneng Bontshetse is back at the Botswana Football Association as second vice president after an odds defying victory at the recent General Assembly.

Like many other football politicians around him, he has swung like a pendulum from this side to the other. He was pro-Maclean Letshwiti in 2016, before aligning with Tebogo Sebego in 2020. These frequent switches are a regularity, not only in football but in national politics, where they carry nice sounding names like defection and floor-crossing.

Bontshetse has always been an integral part of local football politics and has evolved into what some call a king maker.

‘Max’ as he is fondly known in football circles, returns to the BFA at a time when the election fever is fast catching up at Lekidi Football Centre.

In just under two years, delegates from across BFA’s 17 regions will return to the ballot box to elect a new president and the whole BFA executive committee. Letshwiti is said to be keen to have a go for a third term (remember it was initially one term and I am out). He has unfinished business, so will go the argument.

Sebego hinted he was done after the 2020 defeat, but do you believe it? He is very much in line to contest in 2024. Max contested for the vice presidency at the last election and lost by the narrowest of margins to Marshlow Motlogelwa. The latter is no longer part of the present equation at BFA having resigned at the start of the year following revelations the association had mismanaged funds from the world governing body, FIFA.

Bontshetse is known as a hard campaigner who does not leave any stone unturned. But surprisingly, the battle for the heart and soul of the football family was lost in Bontshetse’s backyard in the 2020 elections where Letshwiti gained considerable traction.

But Bontshetse has been relentless since then and now joined by another discarded Lekidi Football Centre musketeer, Phuthego Setete, Bontshetse has made a blinding comeback.

The pulling power of Nicholas Zakhem has been indisputable since the 2016 election. He is the man seen as the driving force behind Letshwiti’s occupation of the top seat at BFA. In 2020, Zakhem was again credited with supporting Letshwiti across the line. His influence has remained unquestionable.

But Bontshetse’s broad daylight smash and grab at the recent BFA General Assembly has forced the Letshwiti camp into panic mood. The BFA leadership had picked Senki Sesinyi’s name for ratification as second vice president at the general assembly. However, the Mex effect ensured delegates reject Sesinyi. A last minute bid to have Lobito Ncube make the step up, ended in an embarrassing defeat as Bontshetse garnered massive votes to ascend to the vice presidency. It could signal a significant shift ahead of the 2024 elections. But nearly two years to the vote is a long way to go and there could be a lot of game-changing horse trading between now and then.

Bontshetse is now like a cat among the pigeons, surrounded mostly by the pro-Letshwiti gang. But is his return good or bad? It is good as he will, presumably keep the rest of the executive committee on its toes. It is always desirable to have an opposing voice to provide the much needed checks and balances. This on the assumption that Max will not be a turncoat and return to the waiting arms of Letshwiti.

His move is bad in the sense that the internecine fights that have defined the BFA will continue. Max will have a go at certain individuals and these fights will be elevated and in all likelihood, derail progress. BFA needs a committee focused on the job and not vengeance and all other sorts of fights.