03 Feb 2016

Pandamatenga was painted blue, black and white as the roving torch made its final leg to the last village in the Chobe District on Monday.

With a unique and diverse blend of ethnic groups, Pandamatenga was described as a melting pot of ethnic diversity being home to Basarwa, Bananjwa, Ndebele, Balozi and Afrikaaners, among others.

Having mobilised the farming community that constituted part of Pandamatenga, all sorts of farming machinery branded in Botswana colours, bearing congratulatory independence messages and Botswana flags made their way to the kgotla as part of the celebrations to welcome the roving torch. 

Moreover, horses, bicycles, quad bikes and residents crowned the village as one of the best that the BOT50 team said had ever come across. 

The event kicked off with the handing over of the roving torch to Kgosi Rebecca Banika who was dressed in royal regalia.

Priding herself as the first woman to sit in the then 15-member House of Chiefs, Kgosi Banika lit the torch as a sign of national unity in front of multitudes that had gathered to bear witness to this spectacle. 

In her remarks, Kgosi Banika highlighted that while her village was made up of different ethnic groups such as Banajwa, Bakalanga, Afrikaners, Ndebele, Barotsi, they remained united and proud with a common goal of feeding the nation.

“We have pledged to work as a team and to work in harmony for the realisation of the vision,” she said. Kgosi Banika urged all Batswana to formulate strategies that unite and motivate them to celebrate golden jubilee successfully. 

One of the village elders, Mr Edgar Moyo narrated how he settled in Pandamatenga in 1951 from Rhodesia and found a home together with his late father. As the descendent of farmers, he fitted right into the farming culture of Pandamatenga. Reflecting on the celebrations in Chobe, BOT50 team leader, Mr Brian Sitang noted that they were impressed by Panda welcome ceremony as it was unique and successfully summarised the journey of the roving torch in Chobe.

“This was by far the best roving torch welcome ceremony we have ever attended and what stood out was the mobilisation of the business community, unique features such as the use of drones which highlighted technological advancement, the presence of horses and branded agricultural machinery and the diversity in entertainment such as the inclusion of polka dance by the Botswana Defence Force,” he said. 

Overall, he noted that the celebrations across the district had gone well. 

Ms Jester Amos, who was born on September 30, 1966, said this symbolised growth of where Botswana came from during difficult times to where it is now. 

“I call on Batswana to be patriotic and protect their country’s interests,” she said. 

Pandamatenga organising committee chairperson, Ms Olaotse Tautona thanked the Pandamatenga community for coming together and pledging their money and other resources to make the event a resounding success. 

The roving torch will proceed to Gweta. Ends