04 Jun 2013

The Minister of Sports Youth and Culture, Mr Shaw Kgathi has advocated for preferential treatment on tenders submitted by youth.

Addressing a kgotla meeting at Peleng in Lobatse on Monday, the minister said all obstacles encountered by youth should be removed and they should not be subjected to a situation whereby they competed and had to submit requirements they would be unable to meet.

Mr Kgathi said government had made a deliberate decision to empower youth, thus all obstacles should be removed citing advertisements that required 10 to 15 years of experience as putting aside youth who were fresh from universities and colleges.

He urged councils to also abolish some of the bureaucratic requirements that posed a challenge to youth saying such requirements defeated all government’s endeavours to empower youth. He also said government departments dealing with youth should have reservations for youth and develop a flexible public service conducive to youth.

In matters relating to sport, Mr Kgathi noted that his ministry was a breeding shell for celebrities because they had natural talent that needed to be nurtured. Through the efforts of his ministry, he said Batswana athletes were shining at regional and international competitions.

Mr Kgathi said softball, basketball, squash and wrestling were included in the upcoming Olympics and Botswana would be participating in those codes.

Giving a word of encouragement, former Zebras player, Diphetogo ‘Dipsy’ Selolwane urged parents to be involved in their children’s activities stressing that it was important for parents to monitor the movement of their kids.

Mr Selolwane also noted that discipline was important and he urged youth to respect every elder in order to have blessings adding that youth should learn to discuss their problems with parents in order to get constructive advice.

He said during his early years, there were limited opportunities unlike today and encouraged youth to use every available opportunity coming their way to contribute something to their country.

In his welcoming remarks, Kgosi Mpaesele Itumeleng of Peleng Customary Court said the hills around Lobatse had different historical background and urged the department of culture to document every hill around the township. ENDS