1 + 1 = 20
Momentum
September 2021
On September 11, 2021, the South African Falconry Association (SAFA) terminated the Boland Falconry Club's (BFC) SAFA membership. This action was taken without affording the BFC2020MC a disciplinary hearing and with no response from SAFA to the BFC's formal submission of August 21, 2021, nor to its request for an independent tribunal. Despite this termination, the BFC2020MC resolved that the ongoing Independent Investigation should continue until the conclusion of the BFC's 2021 Annual General Meeting (AGM).
In the matter of SAFA’s voting process regarding the BFC, it reportedly surfaced that the Cape Falconry Club (CFC) abstained or remained neutral. The reason cited was the CFC’s non-compliant status, as it allegedly did not possess a valid CapeNature (CN) falconry permit at the time and had been non-compliant for a period longer than the BFC. Notably, despite the CFC’s reported non-compliance, no sanctions were imposed on them by SAFA.
This revelation raised significant questions. The SAFA chairman, who was leading the action against the BFC, was a full member of the CFC. Given that the SAFA constitution reportedly stipulates that a member club must be self-compliant for its representatives to serve on the SAFA Executive Committee (Exco), the CFC’s non-compliant status implied that the SAFA chairman might not have been eligible to serve on the SAFA Exco, let alone as SAFA chairman.
On September 18, 2021, the BFC held its AGM. During this meeting, the existing management committee stepped down. However, the proceedings reportedly descended into chaos due to interference from certain SAFA Executive Members. This occurred despite SAFA having formally declined an invitation to attend the BFC AGM, yet seemingly choosing to disrupt the meeting through external interventions. A new BFC 2022 Management Committee was subsequently elected.
Following the tumultuous AGM, the BFC contacted the SAFA secretary to inquire whether the individuals who interfered in the BFC AGM were acting under an official SAFA mandate. The SAFA secretary confirmed that the members in question had no such mandate. However, when asked whether SAFA would institute action against these executive members for misrepresentation, no comment was provided by SAFA.
This narrative outlines a turbulent period in the BFC’s history, underscoring the difficulties encountered while addressing complex organizational issues and advocating for transparency and fairness within the South African falconry community. The BFC perceived these events as indicative of double standards within SAFA. Consequently, the BFC2020MC requested the finalization of the independent investigation, awaiting its official report.
©Avibus. All Rights Reserved.