25 Oct 2017

President Lt Gen. Dr Seretse Khama Ian Khama will tomorrow (October 27) officially open the Rhino trail staircase at the Tsodilo Hills Heritage site which was funded by the Diamond Trust to the tune of P1 million.

A press release from the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources, Conservation and Tourism says the official opening will be followed by a walk on the new Rhino Trail staircase.

It further says the staircase construction project was launched in April 2017 by the ministry’s permanent secretary, Mr Rule Opelo together with the chairperson of the Diamond Trust, Mr Boyce Sebetlela.

The ministry through the Department of National Museum and Monuments in collaboration with the Diamond Trust will hold the event at the Tsodilo Hills Heritage site.

It says the Diamond Trust has funded other developments at the Tsodilo World Heritage Site and in the village as part of the long standing partnership between the Tsodilo community and Diamond Trust which has been in place since 2010 under the Tsodilo Community Project.

It further says the Tsodilo Hill World Heritage site was the first in Botswana to be inscribed on the World Heritage list in 2011 on the basis of its outstanding rock art, evidence of a long history of settlement and its intangible heritage as a sacred place.

It has four trails namely rhino, lion, the highest (summit trail) and cliff trail and over the years it was realised that the rhino trail receives a large number of visitors ranging from the youth, elderly, physically challenged and able bodied people.

The release says it was also realised that part of the rhino trail was not easily accessible by the elderly and physically challenged, thus the idea of staircase. ENDS