25 Jul 2016

The mayor of Francistown, Sylvia Muzila, says she will be disappointed if the sports complex in the city would not be filled to capacity during the celebrations to mark Botswana’s 50th independence anniversary on September 30.

Therefore, she urged the Francistown community to step up preparedness for the celebrations.

“It is our wish that everybody is at the stadium on September 30 and we do not mind if others resort to the ground when there are no seats left of the 26 000 capacity stadium,” she remarked.

Dubbed: The Nyangabgwe Lions Club Bot50 Celebration Choir Completion, the idea of the event was to come up with a big choir that would grace notable occasions such as the beckoning golden jubilee celebrations.

“We want a choir that will sing to us and add enthusiasm to the dignified occasion,” said Muzila, adding that preparations to colourfully celebrate the independence day would intensify in the coming weeks.

Chairperson of Bot50 Local Organising Committee (LOC), Kebaabetswe Bogatsu said it was sad that the groundwork hype towards the celebrations was not as visible as one would have liked.
Bogatsu, who is also Business Botswana’s regional head in the north, announced that beginning August, a series of kgotla meetings led by the mayor would be addressed to further heighten the publicity.

“On August 11, 2016, there will be a celebration marked by a number of activities to mark the 50-day countdown to independence day,” he announced.

Lion Dilip Nunes, president of Nyangabgwe Lions Club, which organised the choir contest, said in a press statement that, besides picking a master choir for Bot50, the other objective was to raise funds towards buying spectacles for needy children.  

Giving the background of their organisation, he said it was an affiliate of the 99-year-old Lions Club International, which was the largest service club in the world with more than 1, 3 million members in 45 000 clubs and 205 countries.

Nine choirs that took part fought it out for the P3000 prize and UCCSA emerged victorious. Ends