03 Apr 2017

 Ntlo Ya Dikgosi chairperson, Kgosi Puso Gaborone has implored civil servants to take full responsibility of their health and wellness.

Giving a keynote address at the Selebi Phikwe Town Council wellness day at the Selebi Phikwe Stadium recently, Kgosi Puso said every employee was responsible for making sure that they were well and healthy to render services to civil society accordingly.

The event was held under the theme: Integrating wellness n the workplace, My responsibility, and it started with a walk from the main mall to the stadium where different sporting activities such as aerobics, athletics, tug of war and a football match were held.

He said people should learn to eat properly and exercise often.

He said unlike back in the days when people ate healthy food from the fields instead of fast foods and also did chores such as ploughing the fields, cleaning the yard, collecting water among other duties which kept the body active, nowadays people did less of those.

He also noted that in today’s way of life people drive to work, sit on a chair in the office the whole day and get back home and sit back without exercising or keeping the body active. He said this has had a negative impact on the health of individuals.

Kgosi Puso further said people who did not exercise were prone to diseases such as high blood pressure, sugar diabetes and other chronic diseases while advising civil servants to make exercising and leading a healthy lifestyle their daily routines.

He also touched on the issue of keeping a healthy working relationship at work places to avoid operating in a stressful environment which could have a psychological and emotional impact on employees.

He commended the SPTC for holding the wellness event, adding that government promoted and supported such initiatives in order to have a healthy and fit workforce leading to a healthy nation.

For his part, Mr Tuelo Serufho noted that exercising was not only for children and youth, but that adults and elderly people were also encouraged to exercise and keep fit.

Mr Serufho said age did not matter, adding that it was never too late to start exercising. He said lack of exercise and keeping fit could lead to obesity.

He encouraged the youth to engage in sporting activities to keep healthy and for parents to at least take walks to keep the body healthy.

On the other hand, Selebi Phikwe mayor, Mr Amogelang Mojuta also stressed the importance of leading healthy lifestyles, saying  exercising and keeping fit could help fend diseases.

He acknowledged the SPTC management for organising and holding the wellness event to encourage employees to exercise and lead healthy lifestyles.

He urged them to make exercising part of their daily lives. ENDS