24 Feb 2013

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Lands and Housing, Mr Thato Raphaka has said wellness at the workplace should be encouraged.

Speaking at his ministry’s recent wellness day in Francistown, Mr Raphaka said wellness in the workplace encouraged people to work effectively and produce good results. He said studies had indicated that many people died because of lack of exercising and people who exercised lived longer than those who did not.

The Chobe Land Board secretary, Mr Godiramang Moepeng said the wellbeing of an individual employee contributed to the wellbeing of the organisation. Mr Moepeng, who took the first position in the day’s marathon, reiterated Mr Raphaka’s sentiments, imploring people to make physical exercise a daily habit to help them live longer.

He attributed Botswana’s low life expectancy rate to the lack of exercise. Another speaker, Ms Unangoni Sechele, who is a data clerk at the Tutume Sub-land Board, said exercising could reduce illnesses such as high blood.

She added that it could also enhance productivity in the workplace as it revived the mind and the body. Ms Sechele called on the various departments to consider introducing sporting activities for their employees in order to up the productivity rate.

Activities included aerobics, track and field events, ball sports, beauty contests, choir competitions, poems, traditional dance, and beauty contest, which were all aimed at helping to build team spirit and encourage exercise. ENDS