25 Jul 2016

Minister of Health, Ms Dorcas Makgato, has commended Botswana Netball Association (BONA) for acquiring rights for Botswana to host the 2017 Netball World Youth cup (NWYC).

When launching the NWYC Africa qualifiers in Gaborone, Ms Makgato said Botswana was already working hard towards hosting the netball world cup.
She said the NWYC would be historic since it would be a first world cup event to be hosted in Botswana.

The event would also be the first for Africa.
And, Ms Makgato said the ongoing Africa qualifiers were the first youth cup based on the regional qualification criteria.

“In the development of the girl child, sport plays a very important role not as an empowerment vehicle but also as environment for character building,” she added.
Ms  Makgato further said sport  was also a stress relief.

She said a healthy body promoted a healthy mind for a child.
In addition, she said exercises, physical activity and sports had been used by many nations as a cost effective strategy of improving public health.

Minister Makgato also stated that sport was important because it helped develop leadership skills and qualities.
She gave an example about the current Botswana cabinet.

“In our cabinet today, a minimum of three ministers have come out of sporting fraternity,” she said.
Furthermore she said sport  was a national unifying factor, therefore, Botswana was happy to be shining the spotlight in the global female spot for the first time.

She said netball was a leading female sport in the world as wel as the fastest growing sport.
She also urged young athletes to guide their netball career with utmost care, hence encouraging them to stay away from doping.

For her part, Ms Tebogo Lebotse-Sebego, president of BONA said the journey started in 2009 when they sent a junior team to Cook Islands to take part in the same competition.
She said Cook Islands inspired them to seek hosting rights.

Ms Lebotse-Sebego said Botswana Sports Commission (BNSC) welcomed the idea, hence a go ahead to submit the bid.
She credited BNSC and Botswana government for making their dream come to reality.

Winning the bid, she said, was evidence that Africa netball had triumphed.
Lesotho, South Africa, Namibia, Uganda, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe are taking part in the Africa qualifiers. Ends