01 Oct 2019

Kgosi Sekgoma Moipolai of Matsiloje has expressed concern about Batswana’s growing disregard for the Independence Day.

Kgosi Moipolai registered the concern in an interview on September 30 when few people turned up for the 53rd independence celebrations at the kgotla.

“People no longer come to the kgotla in large numbers let alone appreciate the essence of the independence the way they used to back in the days. 

Independence day should be a day for Batswana to show forth and exude patriotism but that is not the case anymore. People treat it like one of those holidays where they can engage in any other business other than the festivities,” he said.

Kgosi Moipolai said, just like other social values of peace, volunteerism and social cohesion or unity that had been eroded over the years, the essence of independence was fast dissipating.

Independence festivities, according to Kgosi Moipolai, went beyond just meeting at the kgotla to enjoy traditional cuisine and music, but presented Batswana with necessary platform to reflect on their past and fashion multiple-path ways for further development.

He said, however, that all was not lost as the nation could still redeem itself by instilling such values into the young generation especially primary school going children.

On other issues, Kgosi Moipolai was happy with government efforts to set up a temporary wildlife camp in Matsiloje saying the presence of the troops from the Department of Wildlife and National Parks would help ward off problem animals particularly elephants  that he said had destroyed people’s crops for many years now.

At Matsiloje border post, chief immigration officer, Ms Erene Mogotsi, said save for the over 200 arrivals and about 100 departures that occurred during both independence eve and independence day, there was little activity at the border.

“This is a relatively a calm border most of the time. Christmas and Easter holidays happen to be the only period when we experience a lot of movement in and out of our border,” she said.

Ms Mogotsi complained that there were worrying incidents of some Zimbabweans who illegally skipped the border into Botswana.

She said, however, that her department and other security organs including the police had managed to catch the culprits through various interventions.

The other problem, she said,  they were experiencing was the tendency by some foreign nationals to stay in Botswana beyond the stipulated three months.

In Matshelagabedi, the main kgotla was packed by villagers who had come to listen to the independence message.

Other than the festivities that characterised the day, the decreeing of the ploughing season open by the kgosi was one of the highlights of the day.

Matshelagabedi Village Development Committee chairman, Mr Waboraro Seyakgosing stated that such a declaration by the kgosi had now become part of the people of Matshelagabedi’s tradition.

He said the timing of such an order was important because it came right at commencement of the rainy season and took place at the kgotla, where majority converged.

To try and bring in young people, the village independence organising committee had tagged along young people through sports committee to become part and parcel of the festivities.

On other issues,  Mr Seyakgosing was happy with the level of development in Matshelagabedi through programmes such as constituency projects, Ipelegeng as well as boipelego.

The village, he said, had for instance made headway by building one LA2 in the 2019/2020 planning period, a culvert at the clinic, electrified VDC offices and painted the waiting room at the bus stop, among other things. ends