26 Oct 2015

The spirit of volunteerism is one of the key fundamentals that have enabled the country to develop from humble beginnings to what it is today. History also has it that some of the notable developments that the country prides itself with are the end results of volunteerism. 

This spirit is also considered as one of the aspects that Batswana incorporate with their cultural practices and always hold it in high regards.

As the government has taken all the responsibilities to implement and bring in developments such as tarred roads, buildings and others in cities, towns and villages, the spirit seems to be fading away.

Nonetheless, some communities are still holding unto it and work tirelessly to revive and preserve the spirit. In Tutume, which is home to more than 20 000 people, there is no intention at all to allow the spirit to fade away.

Although the village continues to receive several developments from the government, the community has also embarked on a volunteerism projects with the intention to revive the spirit.

They felt the need to make a significant contribution towards the development of their village and are currently working on the construction of the village’s main kgotla shelter or leobo in Setswana.

The chairperson of the Leobo Project Committee Mr Siyani Sisila revealed in an interview that the project costs a total of more than P1 million.

 He said the ground breaking of the project was done in May this year and the construction will take place in phases, depending on the regularity of the flow of the funds from donors.

Mr Sisila also noted that the community continues to work hard to make the project a success ,adding that they have engaged a local construction company for technical aspects and labour is provided by Ipelegeng employees.

The chairperson emphasised that they do not despise the developments that the government continues to bring within the village.

He noted that as the community they felt the need to play a role in efforts to develop their village.

“We appreciate all the developments implemented by the government around here and we are also aware that due to some financial constraints that the government grapples with, it might take long for some of the projects to be carried out. 

And besides, the responsibilities of bring in developments should not be left to be the burden of the government alone,” he said.

Mr Sisila said a shelter at the main kgotla is one of the developments they have long desired for, and instead of waiting for the government to avail funds, they decided to take up the project on voluntary basis.

“The shelter is one of the projects we really need as there is a shortage of space, especially during events such as kgotla meetings, and people are always left in the sun. There is also a congestion in some offices here, which compromises the service rendered to the community,” he said.

He highlighted that the current shelter, which was built in the early 1980s is now dilapidated and cannot accommodate a large number of people any more.

Mr Sisila explained that stakeholders and traditional leaders from the five main kgotlas within the village met and agreed upon the construction of the shelter and the committee was elected.

“Since this is a community voluntary project, we found it fit to solicit resources and as such we asked for donations from several companies, local entrepreneurs and from individuals,” he said.

He further said each kgotla was expected to contribute an amount of P10 000, adding that they have also worked closely with the Member of Parliament for Nkange, Mr Edwin Batshu to solicit donations.

Mr Sisila also expressed gratitude to the help they always receive from Goledzwa football tournament, which he said always comes up with activities such as tournaments, beauty contests and other activities in efforts to generate money for the project.

On another note, Mr Sisila said though this is a voluntary project, some people are still reluctant to play a role.

He decried that some have a tendency of not coming up for meetings addressed by Village Extension committees .

For his part, one of the traditional leaders from the village, Kgosi Tapson Madikwe noted that this project is a milestone, which does not only bring in developments but proves that the spirit of volunteerism can always make a significant difference.

He further said communities should always strive to initiate some developments and work on them, adding that this can help lessen the burden on the government.

The project, which comprises of a main shelter with a seating capacity of 250 people and a stand up capacity of 250 people as well, offices, water system toilets, kitchen, mini conference room and other entities is estimated to be complete over a period of 12 months. Ends