25 Jan 2016

The Ngamiland community has been urged to take the lead in preparations for the golden jubilee celebrations.

A representative from Bot50 committee, Ms Keitumetse Setlang, made the plea during a ceremony to welcome the roving torch in Maun. She described the 50th anniversary as a huge event  that would all to actively participate.

She urged the communities to unite and embrace the spirit of the forthcoming celebrations to make it a success and memorable.

She said every Motswana should take pride in the celebrations as they marked a milestone on where the country came from. Ms Setlang said the event should be of high standard and more colourful as it would also attract attention from the world.

She pointed out that the Bot50 committee would provide the necessary advise for the smooth preparations.

Meanwhile, the arrival of the roving torch in Maun attracted a lot of attention as the elderly, school children and the community at large thronged the main kgotla

The torch arrived at the kgotla at 2pm, but the community  gathered before 12 noon. Among the elders was a veteran politician, Mr Gaerone Kwerepe who was one of the first members of Parliament when Botswana  attained independence.

Mr Kwerepe had an opportunity to share the history of Botswana before independence and related it to the roving torch. 

He explained that democracy and unity were foundations of the country as it existed even before  independence.

He said in the past, they were divided into territories but they were united and urged the nation at large to take pride in the torch which symbolizes unity and peace amongst them. He added that inevitably, the tribal areas became dependent economically on their rich neighbours

Mr Kwerepe recalled the day when the  internal self-government was introduced in 1965 at Lobatse where the first MPs were sworn under a tree adding by then, the nation was led by a prime minister.

He said by then the British empire was dismantled and independence followed only a year after Bechunaland internal self-government and the country got the name Botswana with Sir Seretse Khama as the first president. Ends