12 Aug 2019

 As part of their social corporate responsibility, Civil Aviation Authority Botswana (CAAB) has donated 40 waste bins worth over P13 000 to Maun Administrative Authority in an effort to promote a healthy and clean environment.

The authority has promised to install the waste bins once the council had identified strategic points where they would be placed to ensure no spillage of waste by animals.

Speaking during the handing over ceremony on behalf of CAAB chief executive officer, Mr Modipe Nkwe said maintaining a clean environment was paramount hence they found it fit to play a role in promoting a clean environment in Maun.

The waste bins, he said, were donated by one of their partners and that CAAB recycled them to put them in good shape. He said CAAB believed that a clean and tidy environment was appealing to potential investors.

He added that their donation was in line with the government’s plea for private organisations to give back to the community they operated in. 

He thanked residents of Moeti and Sedie wards for their cooperation as they paved the way for the construction of the airport.

He stated although CAAB was not financially stable, it managed to put aside funds  to assist in community projects. 

The funds, he said, were distributed among all airports to assist communities they operated in.

Mr Nkwe revealed that their aim was to undertake projects which could positively impact community. 

He urged community development committees to submit requests to the organisation.

He said he was confident that the donation would be put to good use, adding that a clean environment also promoted good health and lifestyle.

Receiving the donation, senior council secretary, Ms Mogomotsi Seemule thanked CAAB for the good gesture, adding that the organisation was helpful to the local governance authority as it appreciated their needs and came up with solutions.

She stated that Maun was a big village with a high population, and that the council was unable to provide every household with a waste bin. 

She thanked CAAB for augmenting their efforts. Council, she said, managed to provide waste bins to 2 026 out of the 6 917 households, noting that the majority had no bins. 

Maun Administrative Authority, she said, covered 36 villages including the Okavango Delta which is a World Heritage Site. She noted that the delta attracted a lot of attention regionally and internationally hence the need to maintain its beauty.

“The delta is a sensitive area and we cannot allow littering. The area is also of economic benefit hence we have to do all to protect it,” she added.

In addition, she noted that Maun was a tourism destination and that cleanliness should be priority. He appreciated CAAB for playing a role in ensuring a clean environment.

Ms Seemule revealed that littering had been a challenge in the village, but that through collective efforts the situation could be arrested. 

The waste bins, she said, would be placed in some wards and public places, and urged the community to put them to good use.

Principal air traffic control officer, Mr Gaobolele Phalane said CAAB had been playing a key role in assisting the community in previous years. 

He said it was not the first time CAAB ploughed back to the community as the authority had extended a helping hand to the Senonnori Village Development Committee (VDC) by renovating the committee’s house. 

The organisation, he said, also donated Christmas gifts to patients at Letsholathebe II Memorial Hospital. In addition, he said they assisted victims during floods through council. ENDS