18 Sep 2018

In the light of an alarming number of lives lost due to road accidents in and around Gaborone, Township Rollers supporters, Tsolamosese Branch, have taken it upon themselves to assist.

Supporters were recently inducted by the Mogoditshane/Thamaga Sub-district road safety committee before embarking on the task.

One of the supporters, Motswana Maphakela said after adopting Lesirane Primary School there was a decision to do something to save young lives.

“As supporters we raised this issue in one of our meetings and decided to do something about it, but because we are just ordinary supporters without the authority to control traffic, we approached different stakeholders like schools, Department of Road Transport and Safety and the Botswana Police Service,” she said. 

Maphakela said they then decided to take part in the safer scholar patrol to protect the lives of young children who mostly crossed the road running and without paying enough attention to traffic.

She said Township Rollers was not just a football club, but an organisation with the interest to play a positive role in the community.

She said they would sell the idea of safer scholar patrols to the club’s other 54 branches across the country.

For his part, Superintendent Boiki Mojalemotho of Mogoditshane Police Station applauded the supporters, adding their efforts were welcome as a way of making roads safer for children.

He said it was alarming to see pupils hit by cars on a daily basis, and that Mogoditshane reported a fatal road accident monthly.

He said efforts by Township Rollers supporters would not only benefit to pupils but the community around the area they would be patrolling.

Superintendent Mojalemotho said the scholar patrol was a selfless service to protect pupils and that it would require a lot of effort from individuals.

He said their presence on the roads would also calm the busy traffic and urged them to be diligent.

He advised them to always put on reflective jackets and not to do the job under the influence of alcohol.

The supporters will start helping pupils and all pedestrians crossing the road near Lesirane Primary School next month. ENDS