10 Apr 2016

The Minister of Youth, Sport and Culture, Mr Thapelo Olopeng says Re Bona Ha programme at Botswana Football Association is up and running.

Mr Olopeng said it was his ministry’s endeavour to ensure that the programme achieved its objective of development.

He said in 2013 the BFA and Botswana National Sports Commission undertook a process of transforming the football programme by reducing the centres.

The process, he said, was necessitated by the desire to appoint part-time coaches on contract so as to ensure the centres had qualified coaches and thus guarantee continuous training and competition for the athletes.

He said the transformation process resulted in the centres being reduced from over 50 to 14, adding that in respect of football the programme had been allocated  funds and that in 2012, the programme got P 373 100, in  2013 it was given P 234 100, and in 2014 they were allocated  P100 000 whereas last year they were given P 80 000.

Minister Olopeng said the programme was spread throughout the country in places such as Bobonong, Gaborone, Jwaneng, Kanye, Kasane,Lobatse, Mahalapye, Molepolole, Orapa, Selibe Phikwe, Serowe and Tlokweng.

He said due to limited financial resources not all areas were covered.

Gaborone North Member of Parliament, Mr Haskins Nkaigwa had asked the minister what happened to the Re Ba Bona Ha programme by the Botswana Football Association; how much had been budgeted for the  programme in the years 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015, and which areas in the country were covered through the programme in 2015. Ends