07 Sep 2016

Mr Simon Ntsoma of Sese near Jwaneng is has vowed not to be left behind in the independence  celebrations. 

The 82-year-old man, who originates from Serowe, said it gave him great pride and joy to have had the privilege to witness the country developing.

The man, who lives with two of his children, said he worked in the Southern District in 1957.  

“I worked for the water affairs in Lobatse and I remember I was paid P1.50 monthly and it was a lot of money back then” said Mr Ntsoma. 

He said he worked for many years for the department and he eventually built a house in Sese. 

Even though such was the case, Mr Ntsoma has not abandoned his home village of Serowe and he said he continues to go there often as his wife resides there. 

Reminiscing about those years in the past, he said he was grateful to have had an opportunity to be a ward councillor. 

“I remember when the village was still new, there were about seventy-five people and today we have about four thousand people” he said. 

He said the village of Sese started off as lands whereby people ploughed different kinds of crops and today it is a village which enjoys the benefits of having utilities like water and electricity. 

He said it was an honour for him to have seen the village develop greatly in what he considered a short span of time.

Mr Ntsoma said he was thankful to be living in a country that is so peaceful and that provides opportunities for every resident to enjoy government programmes which are designed to improve the lives of Batswana. 

He said as a way to show his gratitude, he built some sculptures which he would present at the main kgotla in Sese during independence celebration day. 

Mr Ntsoma said the two sculptures of a cow and a crocodile represented one of the popular wild animals and village animals respectively. 

He said he used metals, mesh wire, cement and sand to build his sculptures which he paints to look colourful and strongly believes the sculptures will not only be displayed during Independence celebrations at the kgotla but will remain there for a long period.

Mr Ntsoma said he never went to school to do sculpture but he just observed from other people doing it until he gained the skill. 

He said the two sculptures which he intends to display at the kgotla for free are worth P650 and P800 respectively and they are just an addition to the many sculptures he has designed for many people including the owners of Motlhalaakgomo shop in his area. 

The man said he enjoys working with his hands and besides sculpture, he also does welding. 

He said he continually fixes the ploughing machines, tractors and wells for people. 

“I also make donkey carts and trailers for people, I enjoy working with metal” he said. 

The Sese resident said he is described himself as an open-minded person who enjoys working with his own hands. 

The man who now owns two welding machines said that for him, metal is a very important resource that never gets damaged and should be used effectively. 

Ntsoma does not stop to give praise to the government of Botswana with regards to the opportunity it gives tractor owners. 

He said the owners are given opportunity to rent their machines even to government related projects. 

He said he has never allowed himself to be aided financially by government but urges those who are in the same kind of business and willing to expand to not deny themselves those opportunities. 

Mr Ntsoma said people should not rely entirely on government for help but instead should strive to make a living using their own hands. ENDS