20 Jan 2020

Green Lovers Football Club founding member and coach, Onthusitse Kootswele who collapsed and died January 14 was laid to rest January 19 in Serowe.

Kootswele or Chips as he was widely known was celebrated for the role he played in developing football.

Hundreds came to bid farewell to the man described by the Botswana Football Association (BFA) president, Maclean Letshwiti as ‘having God-given talent and did not mind sharing it to develop the nation’.

“He was also not greedy and shared his talent freely,” stated Letshwiti.

Kootswele was also a development coach who dedicated his life to developing all rounded footballers.

Letshwiti commended Kootswele whom out of dedication Botswana now boasts good and successful players.

He said some were where they were because of Kootswele’s mentorship and guidance.  

His selflessness led to him becoming widely acclaimed and his success was not about him but his duty, stated the same reason that BFA engaged him as the assistant coach of the national under 17 team having seen his ability to develop and nurture young talent, stated Letshwiti.

Letshwiti said his death was not only a loss to the family but also to the football fraternity.

Regional chairperson for Central North Regional Football Association, Rebasikwa Mothoagae said Kootswele had a vision and believed in success.

He said his vision was disturbed by losing a lot of players to other teams and pleaded with BFA to consider registering players electronically so that their origins could be traced. 

“He had big plans for his team and was planning to develop their training ground,” stated Mothoagae who said was hopeful that a Good Samaritan would assist them to fulfill Chips’s dreams.  

His younger brother, Boitshoko Kootswele said his brother was a principled man who always stood by his word.

He said his brother taught him leadership skills and played a father figure to most family members and contributed to their upbringing. 

“He had a heart problem and it became worse after he was deeply saddened by losing his players to other teams,” said Boitshoko who noted that Chips also thought his friends connived with some to take his players. Ends